


Evania

by AestheticAcoustic



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anal Sex, Knotting, M/M, Romance, Size Difference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-04-15 03:52:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 44,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4591929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AestheticAcoustic/pseuds/AestheticAcoustic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Evania, dragon-like creatures rule the land, making life treacherous for humans, or so they think. Pip believes otherwise, advocating that dragonoids aren’t really so cruel as humans believe. His words get him kicked out of his village, but thankfully there’s a familiar dragonoid ready to take him in as thanks for an act of kindness years before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this one a a few years, so please forgive any inconsistencies. I tried to catch as many as I could.

Life in Evania was hard for humans. Harpies to the North, Dragonoids to the South, and hostile forest beasts all over made even a simple trip to the next town a hellish nightmare. People didn’t travel much, leaving the towns mostly cut off from one another. 

There was a hierarchy in Evania. Humans were on the bottom, being the weakest physically and having the least amount of defense. The forest beasts were next. They were the least civilized and could easily be the most brutal. Harpies ruled the North with their vice grip and Dragonoids were undisputed rulers of the South. The two were bitter enemies and rarely crossed their set borders. 

Dragonoids came in many forms. Water, fire, earth, air, lightening and dozens of other incredible breeds were scattered all across the South. Many stayed to themselves, some interbred, others formed small groups, but none were to be taken lightly. Dragonoids were shaped like people, but had large clawed hands, taloned feet, huge wings, sharp fangs, unique horns, strong tails and powerful builds. They easily dominated a land in which all creatures could be considered hostile and dangerous.

Though the towns were never directly attacked, venturing outside the huge wooden walls was be considered suicide. No one left the safety of the walls on their own, instead traveling in groups of at least thirty to get to the next town. Everything on the outside could kill a human, and most everything wanted to.

At least, that was the belief.

Phillip Pirrup, a boy no older than 15 with shoulder-length blond hair unique to the area, would have said otherwise.

Fifty days in a row now he’d sneaked out of the wall on his own and gone to the river, a task that even the bravest in their village would call suicide. Yet, every day he sneaked out and every day he returned, unharmed, not a single person wiser to what he was doing.

Sometimes he’d happen across a small family of forest creatures. He’d watch them, undetected, and think that they were much like any human family. They cared for one another like humans did and, also like humans, would defend family with their lives.

“They’re just like us really,” He’d tried to explain so many times, “They aren’t blood thirsty, they’re just as scared of us as we are of them.”

But no one ever listened.

### 

It was on day sixty-three that Phillip was met with an interesting sight. A large Dragonoid, a type which he’d only ever seen in books, was resting against a tree. He looked to be sleeping, but the blood that covered his body and the ragged wounds it leaked from made Phillip fear otherwise.

He crept a little closer, ducking behind other trees as he went, until he was standing mere feet away from the intimidating beast.

The Dragonoid looked young, not much older than himself, but that meant little. Though he looked only to be in his twenties, he could have easily been in his fifties or more. The skin on his face, upper arms, upper legs and torso was slightly tanned, but the flesh around his lower legs and arms turn black as it neared his clawed hands and feet. His hair was just as black, matching the skin and his bat-like wings, and two huge twisted gray horns protruded from the sides of his skull, twisting backward and forming large circles on either side, the ends pointing forward with sharp tips. His black tail was long and looked to be very strong on its own.

A Night Fang, named for its color and ferocity, one of the rarest and most dangerous breeds. They did not bother to stalk prey like many dragons because they were strong enough to simply swoop down and take it by surprise. Often they would lift the helpless meal to dangerously high altitudes and drop them, allowing them to fall to their deaths. They were strong both physically and mentally, allowing them to think clearly and rationally even in the heat of battle. No one in their right mind attacked a Night Fang, much less approached one.

Blood covered his forehead and naked torso. A large gash near his hair line and a huge hole in his upper chest and shoulder were the likely culprits.

Phillip lightly gnawed his lip. Should he leave it be to potentially die, or follow his own advice and help the beast?

Well, he already knew he couldn’t simply walk away.

He removed his shirt, which was a simple white cotton button up, and began tearing it into strips. It took some time, but eventually he had a nice pile. He left some with the sleeping dragon and took some to the river that he knew was not far away to wet them. He quickly did so and returned.

He began with the torso, figuring the more severe wounds would need tending first. He wiped away the blood from around the wounds and dressed them as best he could, paying particular attention to the right shoulder where the gash was deepest. He packed some fabric against it and tied a longer piece around it to keep the wad there. There was little he could do for the chest but place some fabric against it.

Using dampened cloth he wiped blood from the dragon’s forehead then with dry cloth wrapped the gash there.

He sat back and smiled at his work, glad that the dragon had not awoken. The wounds were mostly wrapped now and hopefully they would heal well enough.  
He picked the damp rag back up and wiped away excess blood from the torso that he had neglected earlier. Once that rag was too red to work well any longer he picked up another and moved to clean the face.

He froze.

Two bright red eyes with slit pupils bore into his with a strange intensity. Though they were fierce they held no anger nor fear nor hatred. They simply stared into him, as though curious to see his next move.

Phillip was too frightened to move for several seconds, wondering if this dragon would kill him for being so close. He eventually settled back on his knees, hands resting on his legs.

They stared at one another, waiting for the other to make a move first.

Phillip calmed, realizing that perhaps today would not be the day he died. Movement caught his attention and he looked down.

The dragon’s long tail twisted and lifted, coming slowly toward him. The short but sharp spines along the back of it made him more than a little nervous. He gasped when suddenly the tail shoved him backward onto his back. He looked back up at the dragon, but its facial expression had not changed.

Was that an act of aggression or pure curiosity?

A loud whistle caught their attention. Phillip realized that it was the alert whistle from the village. Had something happened? Had they noticed his absence? Had someone else been hurt?

He scooted away from the dragon and slowly stood, neither taking their eyes off the other, the dragon unmoving.

Phillip wondered if he should back away or turn his back on the dragon. He eventually decided to turn away, figuring that to be the more trusting move. The dragon had not killed him then, why would it do so when he turned his back?

He did not run but he did go quickly back to the village and back through the wall in his usual place, relieved that he had lived through such an intense experience.

Once he sneaked back in he went to the gates where a commotion had drawn out everyone from the village. A group that had gone out earlier had come back, minus a few members.

“We were attacked by a Night Fang!” One of the men proclaimed. Phillip bit his lip, anxiety gripping his chest.

“He was in the river where we went to cross! He surely would have killed us all had we not attacked. We lost three, but his wounds were extensive. I can only hope he wandered off to die.”

The crowd was abuzz with words of mourning for the lost men and words of praise and hope for the supposed death of the dragon.

Phillip said nothing, deciding to keep his mouth shut for now.


	2. Reunion

For the next two years Phillip told anyone who would listen his theory that Dragonoids and other creatures were simply misunderstood. 

“Haven’t you ever noticed that they only attack us when we enter their territory and then only when we’re a threat? They don’t kill children, only adults that pose a threat. They have families like us and like us they only want to protect them, to survive.”

Though he made good arguments, he went mostly ignored.

“Phillip,” His mother would say, “You must stop this. One young man cannot change the minds of the mass. You’re going to anger the wrong people one day.”

He knew she was right, but it never slowed him down.

He really should have listened.

“Heretic!” Someone shouted when he was roughly shoved to the ground. He looked up at his attacker, but said nothing.

“Your lies are scaring people and confusing the children.” The man above him claimed, “And, quite frankly, we’re sick of listening to you. Stop this nonsense, Phillip.”

“No, father, I will not.” Phillip replied, glaring up at the man who’d raised him, “The way we view them is completely unfair!”

“And how would you know this? Have you ever even seen a real dragon?” William snapped, irritated at his sons inherited stubbornness.

“Yes, I have.” Phillip replied, “I’ve been sneaking into the forest almost every day for over two years.”

A collective gasp sounded from the small crowd that had formed around them.

“You lie.” William hissed.

“It’s true. I even saved a dragon’s life once.” Phillip continued, though he realized he should have shut his mouth several sentences previous, “Do you remember the Night Fang two years ago? I found him and patched his wounds. We looked each other in the eye and he never even made a move to kill me.”

There was a long silence, then William sighed, “You leave me no choice. Such lies are going to get people hurt. Pick him up.” He commanded two men close by.

They each grabbed one arm and forced the blond to his feet.

“Take him to the gates.”

It did not take long to cross the small village to the large gates in the wall. They slowly opened until the forest beyond was visible.

“If you think those monsters are so peaceful and loving, then you should be fine living with them.” William proclaimed, looking away.

Phillip said nothing as he was forcefully shoved outside the village walls. He stared at the forest beyond for only a short time before he walked away, listening as the gates were closed behind him, but refusing to look back.

### 

The sun setting beyond the horizon was a breathtaking sight. Phillip sat quietly with his feet in the river, unsure of what he was going to do. Though surviving during the day had become easy enough, he was unsure of how he was going to spend the night, much less the rest of his life out here. Going to another town was certainly an option, but it would take at least several days to get to one, and that was assuming he was able to stay on the path.

He could gather berries easily enough, and knew which ones were safe and which ones deadly, but one could only survive on berries alone for so long and he had no way of hunting. With a sigh he pulled his feet out of the water, allowing them time to dry before putting his shoes back on.

### 

Phillip got little sleep during the night. He took refuge in a tree, but the forest sounds kept him awake. He attempted sleep throughout the morning as well, but it was no use. In the afternoon he tiredly climbed down and began walking again. Food was first on the agenda. He knew what to look for, but not where to find it.

Thankfully, he was lucky enough to stumble across a bush full of blackberries within an hour. He only managed to pick and eat about a handful, however, when an enraged snarl caught his attention.

He yelped and dove out of the way just as a Centaur went charging through, exploding the bush. He quickly got to his feet and bolted, realizing that he’d unknowingly wandered into the beast’s territory. Normally, this would not have been much of a problem, but if his studies were correct it was mating season for the massive beasts and that spelled death for anything that was not a female Centaur.

He ran as hard and fast as he could, but he could hear the four legged creature gaining fast. He made a quick right, feeling the Centaur rush past behind him and into some trees. Thank goodness they couldn’t change directions too fast. He regained his speed and soon he was out of the tree line, but unfortunately that wasn’t good news. The Centaur would be able to run much faster and see him easier out in the open like this.

It wasn’t much further until he had to dodge again, the Centaur charging past.

This time, however, Phillip could not stand again. He was too weak from lack of food, sleep, and running so hard. He sat on the ground and breathed heavily, chest clenching when the forest beast stopped and turned around.

The Centaur snarled and stomped then let out a loud cry before charging at him again.

Phillip didn’t bother moving. It was over; he was as good as dead. All he could do was watch in horror as the beast came barreling toward him.

Suddenly a large shadow flew over them and a huge black figure landed roughly between them, shaking the ground and forcing the Centaur to a stop. The figure stood upright and stretched its massive black wings, letting out a snarl that made the other beast back up.

The Centaur huffed and snarled and stomped around in anger, attempting to fake-out the interrupting fiend. On any other creature that might have worked. The dragon, however, was having none of it. He took a hard step forward, making the ground tremble again, and let out a ferocious roar that carried for miles.

The Centaur stomped around some more, attempting intimidation, but it did not last. He backed up and bolted into the forest, leaving the two in the open.

The Dragonoid turned toward the blond. Phillip felt a mix of fear, relief and surprise at the two familiar red eyes gazing down at him. The Night Fang towered over him. There was a scar across his chest and right shoulder that Phillip knew he had wrapped two years before.

Once again the two found their eyes locked, neither moving. 

Phillip swallowed roughly before finally speaking in a soft voice, “Thank you… For saving my life.”

The dragon’s expression did not change, making Phillip wonder if it ever did. He took a step toward the blond, dagger-like claws on his reptilian feet leaving deep impressions in the ground.

Phillip stayed put as the dragon moved closer and stopped a few feet away. A familiar tail snaked forward and wrapped itself around his torso, picking him up. He was surprised that the tail alone could lift him with such ease. Though the base of the tail was very long and thick it slowly got thinner as it near the tip, the last three feet of it only being about an inch thick and lacking the spines that the larger section had. It resembled a whip and was probably used like one. The entire tail itself was about seven or more feet long, which was likely how tall the dragon himself was.

The dragon pulled him closer until he could wrap his arms around the small body and hold him. For a moment Phillip was merely very confused and a little uncomfortable. It was when the wings unfolded themselves that he realized the reason why he was being held. “Hey wait!” He attempted, but it was too late. The dragon bent his knees and pushed up, the wings forcing air down at the same time, and they were rocketing up. 

Phillip yelped and wrapped his arms around the male’s neck, closing his eyes and holding on for dear life as they left the safety of the ground. It was only when he felt them level out that he opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder. He held his hair out of his eyes as he gazed down. The wind rushing past them made it impossible to hear anything but a steady roar.

The ground was far below them, but the sight was beautiful. The different shades of green clashed with spots of blue and brown and herds of creatures left various other colors on the land. He looked toward the horizon and was amazed at how far he could see. The sight of a village in the distance brought some sadness, but he swallowed it. 

They landed sooner than he wanted. They were in a very small clearing outside of a cave system in a cliff. He could hear the roar of a waterfall nearby, but was unable to see it. 

The dragon did not drop him, but instead carried him inside a large cave and sat him down in a pile of animal furs next to the wall. Phillip guessed this to be a nest. He wondered if he should say something, or more accurately what he should say, but before anything came to mind the dragon turned and left the cave.

“Wait!” Phillip called, getting to his feet, “Where are you going?” He quickly jogged toward the dark beast.

“Stay.” Came a harsh command. The deep, booming voice made Phillip jump and stop in his tracks. 

Without looking back, the dragon took to the sky once again.

Phillip sighed and watched him fade out of sight. He looked back into the cave, wondering why the dragon had simply dumped him here, and noticed that it was actually deeper than he’d first thought. 

Why not explore a little?

He walked further in and noticed the walls grew smaller as he progressed, though not by much. It eventually grew too dark to see anything, so he felt his way along the wall, which twisted and turned creating a winding tunnel.

After several minutes of walking, Phillip stumbled on something and nearly fell. He cursed his luck and felt for the wall, which he’d lost touch of. He decided that he’d gone far enough, at least for now, and should probably get out before getting lost. Maybe he could come back later with a torch and explore further.

He found the wall and stood properly, his foot bumping whatever it was he had tripped over. Irritated, he picked it up, intent on throwing it in the opposite direction. The object was a smooth, strange material that was about the size of Phillip’s head but was oddly light. He turned it in his hands, trying to figure out what it was, if he could. He felt two holes very close to each other and a third under and between them. Under that was something that formed several straight ridges.

Phillip froze, coming to a gruesome realization.

Eye sockets, nose hole, and teeth. A skull. A _human_ skull.

He shrieked, throwing the skull in the opposite direction and quickly bolting, his hand on the wall. He could only hope he was running out and not further in.

Very soon he saw light and was thrilled that the trip out had taken much less time than the trip in. He stopped just inside the cave walls, leaning against the opening to catch his breath, his mind racing.

Was he going to get eaten? Had he really been so wrong about dragons? Should he leave and take his chances out there? Or, stay and take his chances here?

He groaned, terrified and unsure of what to do. He looked around, as though the surrounding area would give him some sort of idea, and immediately regretted it. The ground outside the cave along the wall and even a bit on the inside was covered with bones. From the skulls he could see, most looked to be animal or even dragon.

He was almost certainly going to die.

He pushed himself off the wall and made to run, but a shadow stopped him. Not even a second later, he jumped and yelped as something landed with a loud “Boom!” just outside the cave. He covered his mouth and backed into the cave, looking down at the Centaur from earlier laying in a twisted heap on the ground before him. Within seconds, the Night Fang landed much more gracefully beside his fallen prey.

Phillip failed to realize that he was still backing up until he tripped and fell backward into the nest. He quickly sat himself up and found that the little stunt had gained the dragon’s attention.

For the third time, they locked eyes.

Phillip whimpered and pulled his legs in, unconsciously curling into himself.

The dragon broke contact and turned back to his prey.

The blond watched in horror as the winged beast bent down and easily ripped off one of the dead creature’s legs. He groaned as the dragon stood and came toward him, leg clutched tightly in his clawed hand.

The mangled limb was shoved toward his face. Phillip gagged a little and covered his mouth, looking away with a groan, “Oh, sick!”

He was surprised when the dragon backed down, letting the leg fall to his side. He gave Phillip an almost confused yet suspicious expression before turning away and again leaving the cave. He dropped the leg outside on top of the body and continued into the surrounding forest.

Phillip saw the opportunity and took it. He jumped out of the nest and ran out of the cave and into the forest in a different direction than the dragon. His chances out here, where he’d already survived one night, were much greater than with a creature that wanted to eat him.

After a short distance he slowed, tired from all the running he’d been doing that day, and began paying more attention to his surroundings. He looked for flora that was eatable while also listening for dangerous fauna. Upon finding another blackberry bush he quickly picked and ate several handfuls before moving on. He needed to get as far away as possible as quickly but safely as possible. The dragon would likely come looking.

A sudden rustling made him pause to listen. He slowly began back tracking as it drew nearer.

He slipped behind and tree and pressed himself silently against it as a centycore slowly lumbered by. They were strange creatures that looked to be made up of bits and pieces of other creatures. It had the body of a lion, hooves like a horse, a mouth resembling a bear’s, elephantine ears, and a single, massive antler on it’s head. It looked ridiculous, but Pip knew they were deadly beasts.

Just perfect. He’d rather take his chances back with the dragon then be mauled to death by a centycore. Why oh why was his luck so poor that he had to run into three of the most dangerous creatures in the forest on the same day? What were the chances of that, honestly?

Everything was going well until a rat scampered across his feet, making him let out a little yelp of surprise. That caught the large beast’s attention very quickly and just as fast 

Phillip was forced to make a decision.

Let himself be killed and end this awful cycle, or run for his life?

His feet made the decision for him, it seemed, and very soon he was racing through the forest again, an irrational centycore on his tail.

He was shocked how quickly he somehow ended up back by the cave. The dragon was nowhere in sight, but Phillip ran into the cave anyway. He stopped when he realized he was no longer being followed and peered out.

The centycore had stopped and was sniffing around. It seemed to be aware that it was now invading a dragon’s home and was obviously unwilling to go further. It began backing away, but from the trees came a loud snarl and suddenly something whip-like wrapped itself around the single antler on the centycore’s head. Before the creature could react, it was jerked violently in one quick motion. Phillip could hear the snapping of the bones in its neck and likely several in its spine. The creature dropped instantly and did not move.

The dragon stepped out from the tree line, arms loaded with wood, and sent Phillip a glare. The blond whimpered and cowered against the wall, expecting to be slain at any moment.

That moment did not come, however. Instead, the dragon simply dropped the wood into a pile close to the cave entrance and with a quick spit of fire set it ablaze in blue flame.  
Phillip watched as the Night Fang used his tail to pick the leg from earlier up and hold it over the flames, rotating it when needed. The act surprised Phillip, since he was well aware of the fact that dragons did not have any need to cook their food, nor did they go through the trouble. Their bodies were perfectly capable of digesting it safely as it was.

Once the dragon seemed satisfied with the amount of cooking, he carried it into the cave and presented it to the blond. 

Phillip cringed, slightly disgusted at many factors of his meal, but forced a small smile, “Um, thank you, I suppose.”

The dragon set the leg down in front of him and returned to the carcass, sitting down to begin his own meal.

Phillip picked at the leg in silence. He ate small pieces and found them to be very good, but he still could not get over the fact that the meat had not been cleaned nor skinned nor many other factors. He ate slowly and eventually filled his belly for the first time in over twenty-four hours.

Once he was finished he left the leg and climbed into the nest to rest more comfortably. The dragon had devoured a good portion of the carcass and still seemed to be feasting on it, so it was unlikely that Phillip was going to become a meal anytime soon. He looked out toward the sky and guessed that the sun would be setting within two to three hours. Hopefully, he was able to sleep better this night than he had the previous one.

When the Centaur was almost completely devoured, the dragon stood and dragged the carcass toward the piles of bones outside the cave. He left it close to the rest of them and went to the body of the centycore. He did not drag this one to the pile, however, but instead grabbed it and flew off to dispose of it elsewhere. He wasn’t gone especially long, and when he returned he kicked the fire out and wandered into the cave, eyeing the blond.

More silent eye contact.

“Thank you for everything.” Phillip finally spoke up, voice barely above an exhausted whisper. He felt as though he could pass out any minute.

The dragon reached up and gripped his right shoulder where the scar was darkest.

Phillip smiled slightly, glad that he was remembered, “I’m Phillip.”

“Damien.” Came the voice again. It wasn’t especially deep, but it reverberated off the walls and sounded louder than it likely was.

“It’s nice to meet you finally.” Phillip said, attempting a little humor. Damien’s blank expressions did not change, however, so he moved on, “May I ask you a question?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to eat me?”

The blond was shocked when Damien’s expression finally did change. A mix of shock, confusion, and disgust all appeared then disappeared rapidly, his face going blank again, 

“Of course not. Why would you think that?”

“Sorry,” He apologized, “I just found some bones in the back and scared myself, I suppose.”

Damien shrugged, “I wasn’t the first creature to live here. There’s lots of shit back there that is not mine.”

“That’s good to hear then.”

Damien quietly climbed into the nest beside the human and propped himself up against the rim. Phillip was a little surprised that it was large enough to fit them both with plenty of personal space.

“I don’t want to sound rude,” Phillip spoke, “But don’t you have things to be doing? To survive out here?”

“Not really.” Damien replied, “When you’re at the top of the food chain and there’s plenty of potential meals literally living all around you, there’s no need to worry about that all the time. It’s a little boring, actually.”

Phillip hummed in response, unsure of what to say.

It was Damien who broke the silence next, “So, why?”

“Why what?” He looked over at the dragon next to him.

Damien lifted his hand and lightly ran his claws over the discolored skin on his shoulder.

“Oh,” Phillip replied, understanding, “I don’t really know. It just seemed like the right thing to do.”

“I could have killed you. You had no way of knowing whether or not I would.”

“I know. But, I’ve always believed that dragonoids are far more complex than people think. That they aren’t just blood-thirsty beasts. I stuck to my beliefs.”

“Good thing you were right then.”

Phillip chuckled and let his eyes slipped closed. 

God, he was so tired.

### 

When Phillip opened his eyes again he was startled to find it was completely dark. Had he really fallen asleep?

A rumbling beside him drew his attention. He turned to find Damien fast asleep next to him, the rumbling coming from his chest and likely caused by deep breathing.

It was incredibly warm in the nest, another surprise, though a pleasant one. It took several seconds for him to figure out that it was once again Damien. Dragons put off an incredible amount of body heat.

Phillip smiled tiredly and shifted to get comfortable, letting his eyes slipped closed again.


	3. Name

Phillip yawned, stretched, and sat up. He was feeling a little sore from the nest but more rested than he had been the previous day. Odd noises from outside caught his attention. He stood and stepped out of the nest, heading for the mouth of the cave.

The sunlight was bright and warm. He paused for a moment to enjoy it before going to explore the noise. He followed the sound to the left of the entrance and walked along the piles of bones. Just passed the tree line he found Damien. The large dragon did not seem to notice him as he continued quietly digging with his large, clawed foot.

“What’re you doing?” Phillip asked, coming closer to get a better look. The hole was huge and deep.

“Cleaning.” Damien clarified.

Phillip gave him a skeptical look. His legs were covered in dirt and mud. “It looks more like you’re simply getting dirty.”

“I’ll wash off later. I’m burying bones.”

“Oh,” Phillip replied dumbly, “Is there any way I could help?”

“No.”

“Are you sure? I could help you carry bones over I’m sure.”

“No. Bones are dangerous. If you get cut, you’ll die.” Damien stopped his digging and stepped back, seemingly satisfied with the size. He walked back toward the cave and Phillip followed quietly. 

The blond plopped down in a patch of thick, green grass under the sun and laid on his stomach, watching Damien drag arm loads of bones away from the cave and to the hole.

He lightly bit his lip. 

Since dragonoids were not human they, like most other creatures, wore no clothing. Their torso resembled that of a human, but from the waist down they were very reptilian. The space between Damien’s legs was empty save for a slight bump where the penis would slither forth upon arousal. Phillip knew he was staring too much at that muscular torso, but he couldn’t be bothered to stop. Watching him work, the way the muscles moved and the ease in which he was able to lift objects Phillip knew would be far too heavy for any human, was mesmerizing.

Phillip sighed almost dreamily. After several minutes of watching he decided maybe he should stop ogling and try to talk to the dragon more. After all, he might not get to stay long. He stood up and walked over to Damien, who was coming back from dumping bones in the hole.

“Damien?”

The dragon stopped in his tracks, giving the blond his full attention.

“Isn’t there something I could do to earn my keep?”

“…Earn your keep?”

“Yes.” Phillip said slowly, “I… I don’t know what you’re thinking, Damien. I hate to assume things. Did you plan on allowing me to stay, or were you just letting me stay a night?”

“An eye for an eye, Phillip. You saved my life, I’m saving yours.”

“But, it’s not an even trade.” Phillip replied, “I hardly think a few strips of cotton saved your life and you’ve already saved mine more than once. I owe you.”

Damien snorted, “No, we’re even.” He went back to gathering bones.

Phillip persisted, “You didn’t really answer the question. Do I need to leave soon?”

“I did answer the question, you just failed to understand. A few strips of cotton did not save my life, but your actions did.” He said as he passed him.

Phillip followed him as he made a trip to the hole, “You’re right, I don’t understand. Please elaborate?”

Damien sighed and dropped the arm load into the hole, “The wounds would have healed, but my attitude would not have. Being attacked like that made me angry and bitter, emotions Night Fangs are prone to and have a hard time getting rid of. The fact that you, a human, helped me, relieved some of that bitterness, I guess. I was planning on burning the village once I felt better, as my species is naturally very vengeful, but I’d say that your actions saved the lives of your people.”

Phillip paused for a while, unsure of what to say, “…I really did that?”

Damien nodded, going back to the cave, “Yes. I’m not going to make you leave because that would just endanger your life again. What would be the point in saving you if you were just killed later?”

The blond followed, “That’s thoughtful of you.”

Damien shrugged.

“You said you were attacked. I was told that you attacked and killed our people.”

Damien scoffed, “Bullshit. Humans are too jumpy for their own good. _They_ attacked _me_ because they assumed I would attack first, which I wouldn’t have. I only killed them in defense.”

Phillip was stunned, though not as much as he would have expected himself to be, “I had no idea…”

“That’s not a surprise.” Damien bent down and began rearranging several skulls that he’d left. They looked almost human, save for the horns that sprouted from the sides.

Dragon skulls.

“Did you kill them?” Phillip asked.

“Yes.” Damien replied, “They picked a fight they couldn’t win. I keep the skulls of my best kills.”

Phillip hummed in response, examining the differences in the horns on each skull.

“Would you like to go to the river?” Damien asked once he was finished.

“What about the hole?”

“I’ll bury it later. Come on, I’m hungry.” 

Phillip followed the dragon to the river, which was in the opposite direction that Damien had dug the hole. The sound of the waterfall became louder until finally the river came into view. He guessed they were around one hundred feet from the cave.

“This is beautiful.” Phillip commented, stopping by the water’s edge. It was wider here than in other areas where he had crossed and deeper too. The waterfall was a good distance into the cliff and very tall.

“Your village is about three miles upstream.” Damien explained.

“Wow, that’s closer than I thought…” Phillip replied, mood dropping slightly.

“I can take you back anytime.” Damien offered.

“Oh, no… I was kicked out for scaring people. It’s not okay to defend dragons, apparently.”

Damien seemed surprised, but it was hard to tell with his mostly blank expression, “In that case, you’re free to stay as long as you like.”

“Thank you very much.” Phillip said with a large smile.

Damien waded out into the water, the current washing dirt from his legs.

Phillip kicked his shoes and socks off and tested the water. It was a little chilly, but not so much that he wouldn’t get in. He rid himself of his clothes and got in. He sat down on his knees in the water, making it come up to his stomach, and began washing himself off. He splashed water on his arms and face and rubbed off layers of dirt and sweat that had built up over the past two days.

Afterward, he shifted to sit on his rump, the rocks lightly poking him, and laid back to rinse his hair and back.

When he sat back up he was completely wet. He rang his hair out and sighed, feeling much better.

Then he realized that Damien was staring right at him.

Phillip blushed and shifted self-consciously, “Um…?”

“You look malnourished.” Damien said.

“Excuse me?”

“You need to eat more. You’re too thin.” Damien’s tail snaked out of the water and poked the blond in the stomach, making him squeak, “And too soft.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Phillip replied, wrapping his arms around himself.

“Do you like fish?”

Phillip brightened, “Oh yes, I love fish.”

“Good.” Damien turned away and went further out. The water lapped at the bottom of his knees where he stopped, washing away the dirt. For a long while he simply stared down into the water, holding still. Suddenly, he jerked and lifted his foot out of the water a few seconds later. Clutched in his talons was a large salmon. He gripped it in his hands and threw it over his shoulder, where it landed on the bank several feet from the water’s edge.

The process continued until ten salmon lay on the bank. Damien walked out of the water and into the surrounding woods, coming back minutes later with wood. He dropped it into a good pile and set it ablaze with a quick spit of fire.

“You’re doing that for me, aren’t you?” Phillip asked meekly.

Damien nodded, “I forgot yesterday. Humans don’t do well when they eat uncooked meat.”

“Thank you.” Phillip smiled.

Damien stuck two of the fish on sticks and positioned them over the fire.

Phillip climbed out and sat down on a rock, letting himself dry in the warm sunlight.

He noticed Damien’s eyes on him again, but said nothing.

### 

Phillip came to realize that Damien’s statement about his life being on the boring side was pretty accurate. In fact, there simply wasn’t much to do aside from hunt, and Damien was the one to do so, leaving Phillip simply feeling useless.

When he wasn’t hunting, Damien was prone to taking naps in the shade, a habit which Phillip quickly took to as well. He often found himself lying on his back; head propped against Damien’s hip while the dragon leaned against a tree and slumbered. The odd rumbling that he emitted in his sleep was somewhere between a purr and a growl, or a strange mixture of both, and put Phillip to sleep rather quickly. When they didn’t feel like napping small talk was made, mostly on Phillip’s side. He told stories of village life while Damien listened, hardly making any comments. The dragon rarely talked about himself.

Phillip stopped bothering to keep track of the days. It’s not like it mattered out in the wild anyway. Sometimes he wondered about the people he’d been forced to leave, but it was a subject he tried not to think about. 

It was strange how Damien could seem to sense when his mood dropped. The dragon wasn’t especially keen on humor, but his attempts to cheer the blond up were thoughtful nonetheless. He’d make a witty observation about something, or tell a story from his past that was humorous in some way, or even attempt a corny joke once in a while. None of the jokes or stories were especially funny, but Phillip always laughed because they were coming from Damien, which in itself was amusing.

Phillip liked to think that Damien did not like to get especially far from him, which seemed to be true since the dragon only ever left to go hunt and always kept the blond within his sight otherwise. He never went to bed before the blond either and his naps were longer when Phillip napped with him.

He knew that the possibility of Damien being interested in him like that was really just wishful thinking on his part. Dragons and most other creatures often chose a mate based on how well they could reproduce and bear strong offspring together. Since there was no way two males could produce children together, Phillip knew his chances were basically zero. If anything, Damien likely saw him as a companion to keep him company and qualm his boredom.

Phillip wished he’d been able to gain access to better books when he was in the village. He’d read everything their small library had to offer on dragons, but most of it he knew to be biased and inaccurate, and even then there simply wasn’t much information overall. Being in the wild was like being in a whole other culture in itself, and he was grossly unacknowledged on it.

### 

Phillip woke with a start, kicking himself awake from another nightmare. He could not recollect it, but it hadn’t seemed like it was that bad. He stretched and sat up, taking a deep breath of the morning air.

Beside him, Damien was still asleep, which was odd since he almost always got up before the human. The blond did not want to wake him, but he was also incredibly thirsty. He swallowed a few times, trying to rid his throat of the dryness that had settled in overnight, but it was no use.

They’d made the short trip to the river a hundred times and nothing had ever happened. It wouldn’t hurt to go alone just this once, right? Besides, once Damien woke up that would likely be the first place he checked, so he wouldn’t even be alone for very long.

He quietly climbed out of the nest and sneaked out of the cave. Damien did not stir. 

Phillip relaxed a little and walked along the base of the cliff to the river. He smiled when it came into view. The water was a light blue close to the shore, but toward the middle it quickly turned dark where its depth increased. He squatted on the edge and dipped his cupped hands into the cool water, bringing up a palm full and lifting it to his mouth. The water rushing down his parched throat was a wonderful sensation and he happily dipped a few more times before standing.

He looked out at the water and guessed that he’d been gone around five or so minutes now. Damien would likely wake soon and come looking. He turned to head back and stopped in his tracks when he saw the tree line. The hairs on the back of his neck stood upright as he stared hard at a tree trunk. He wasn’t sure what was off about it, if anything, but Damien had told him before that his instincts could tell him much more than he was aware of and to _always_ listen.

It hit him soon enough that the trunk was oddly distorted in such a way that it almost appeared as though there were a large piece of glass in front of it. The image was clear, but it was shaped just slightly off.

Phillip wracked his brain, trying to come up with a reason for this, when the trunk moved and became normal again, but the trunks next to it shifted to odd angles.

The blond’s heart nearly stopped when he realized exactly how much danger he was in.

He was staring right at an Abeo Dragon.

They were illusionists. Their wings and scales acted much like a chameleon, but better; they could change color, create strange patterns, or even blend in to make themselves nearly invisible. Abeos preferred to stalk their prey when possible, or, when dealing with humans, to charm them into putting down their defenses. Abeos had perfected the art of deceit in both physical form and personality wise.

Phillip took a slow breath. The dragon would not attack him when he was staring right at it. All he had to do was slowly back his way to the cave. As long as the Abeo was in his line of sight, he would be fine.

He slowly backed toward the cliff, eyes never wavering from the distorted trunks. When he felt his back touch the wall of dirt he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Slowly, began pulling himself along the wall. He gasped when the shape suddenly darted toward him, stopping just beside a tree that was far too close for comfort.

Phillip whimpered and made the mistake of glancing along the cliff toward the cave. It was barely for a second, but when he looked back the Abeo was suddenly on him, its clawed hands pressed against the cliff above his head. Two honey-colored eyes stared into his own and a pair of curved horns jutted out of a head of blond hair. A pair of huge orange wings blocked out the sun.

The Abeo grinned down at him, “A little far from your village, aren’t you?”

Phillip whimpered, his heart pounding so loud he was sure the dragon could hear it, “I… I was kicked out.”

“Oh? Why on earth would they kick out someone as… _frail_ as you, hm?”

“They didn’t like… That I didn’t agree with their beliefs.”

“ _Really now_? How interesting. You know what else is interesting? Well, the closest village is about three miles away, assuming that’s yours, so I’m just thinking… How did you get this far, blondie?”

Phillip saw a small chance for survival and took it, “A dragon took me in, the one that lives in the cave just a little ways from here, actually.”

The Abeo quirked an eyebrow, but his grin never wavered, “Oh really? You mean the Night Fang? Damien?”

Phillip quickly nodded, hope rising.

The Abeo chuckled and shook his head, clicking his tongue _tut tut tut_ , “Don’t try to deceive me, little human. I’m no fool; in fact I make people into fools.” He leaned in a little closer, “Know how I know you’re lying? Damien is no generous softy. He’s a Night Fang, after all, and I’m sure you already know how violent they can be. Damien’s a real ass on top of that, but don’t go telling him I said that, okay? He’d hit me for sure.” He chuckled at his little joke, the sound crushing Phillip’s hopes.

Suddenly, something long and black came swooping out of nowhere and struck the Abeo on the head, right between the horns. The dragon yelped loudly and grabbed its head, backing away.

Phillip slipped out of the dragon’s reach and was relieved to see Damien giving the Abeo a hard glare, his tail coming back to rest at his side. Phillip quickly ran to him and stood against him, secretly thrilled when the Night Fang put his arm protectively across his small shoulders.

The Abeo spat and cursed and shook his head several times before finally looking up with a glare of his own, “Why did you fucking hit me!?” His charm seemed to be gone.

“Because you called me an ass.” Damien replied, “And, because where the hell have you been? I haven’t seen you in a fucking month and I have shit that needs to be seen to.”

“ _Fuck_ you!” The Abeo spat, still angry, “I’ve been fucking busy as shit, okay?! It’s like no one can fucking think for themselves anymore or at least do without a bunch of fancy bullshit that’s completely unnecessary.” He huffed, crossing his arms, “Now, are you seriously looking after that human? Because I got about three orders I could use him for that would make my life immensely easier.”

Damien growled and pulled Phillip closer, “No. Go find another human if you need one so badly.”

“Yeah, but see, here’s the thing,” He shifted his weight to one foot and held his arms out in an explanatory manner, “The orders are really specific and he kinda works for all of them. I’d probably have to use two or three other humans in his place unless I just happened to find another one just like him, so maybe you could just fork him over and I’ll find you a different pet?”

Damien stiffened, another growl leaving his throat, this one more dangerous, “Absolutely _not_ , Kenny. He is far more valuable to me than a simple pet and if you harm one hair on his head _I will kill you_.” The words made Phillip’s heart flutter.

Kenny held his arms up in defeat. The scales on his lower forearms was thicker and a dark orange color, “Okay, okay, you win. Jeez.”

Behind him something suddenly rose from the water, creating a loud splash. A small dragonoid sat in the middle of the stream now, water running down his smooth, light blue skin. Where his ears should have been were fins and the horns on his head had grown out backward from under his sleek, light blond hair, pointing toward his neck with a slight curve. He looked at the group with large, dark blue eyes that seemed to lack pupils. His voice was soft and light when he spoke, “Is that the boy from the village you told me about last year?” 

“Yeah.” Damien replied.

The blond smiled and lifted his webbed hands from the water, clapping them with glee, “I’m so glad!”

“Wait, wait, what?” Kenny looked between them, “What the fuck did I miss?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Damien grunted, “Now, about my orders.”

Kenny rolled his eyes, “Can’t I get a break for like, two fucking minutes? Or a day, really? I’ve been flying all over the place for the past month. I didn’t stop by to see my best friend just to get sent back to work.”

“But, Kenny,” The dragon in the water called innocently, “You’ve been loafing around for two days now.” 

“Thanks, babe.” Kenny grumbled.

The blond giggled and stood up out of the water. There was a long fin that ran from the base of his neck all the way down his back to the tip of his mermaid-like tail. There were two fins on the sides of his lower legs. He slowly walked toward the shore, stumbling a little as he came closer. 

Kenny immediately went to the water and held out his hand for the shorter dragon to take. The act surprised Phillip, since Abeo’s were supposedly near-emotionless and were thought to only look out for themselves, but then he realized that that ‘fact’ was likely biased and completely incorrect.

The blue dragon giggled as he walked clumsily toward them, Kenny’s arm across his shoulder and their other hands connected. “I’m not as graceful on land as I am in the water.” He said as the duo stopped in front of them. He held out his hand to Phillip with a kind smile, “I’m Leopold, but you can call me Butters if you like, or Leo, I don’t care which.”

“I’m Phillip. It’s nice to meet you.” Phillip replied with his own smile, taking the offered hand.

### 

Phillip learned very quickly that Butters was indeed much less graceful on land then the water. He swam with the most elegance that Phillip had ever seen, as though he and the water were one perfect entity. On land however, he tripped and stumbled more often than not and seemed to be unable to keep his balance even when standing still. Kenny was always by his side out of the water, which was the only thing keeping the water dragon on his feet. The two made a cute pair.

“Winter is going to be here soon.” Butter observed the next morning as he lay on his belly just below the water. 

Phillip could hear Kenny talking just downstream where he and Damien were catching fish. He sat his clothes aside and carefully stepped into the water, “I completely forgot about that…” He sat down next to his new friend, “I suppose I’ll need some winter clothes.”

“I’ll have Kenny get you some.” Butters said with a smile.

Phillip gave him a skeptical look, “I’m not sure he would want to do that for me.”

“Nonsense! He’s a little rough around the edges, but he’s a total softy at heart. I’m sure he could find you something nice.”

“I suppose you two are close then?”

Butters nodded and pushed himself up, resting on his knees instead. He lifted a hand to a necklace made of beautiful shells, pearls, and other gems, “He made this for me four years ago. We’ve been mates ever since.”

Phillip smiled, “I’m very happy for you.” He paused a moment, unsure if he should voice his thoughts, “…I… have a question… If you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. You can ask me anything.”

“Well… I was just always under the impression that dragons chose mates based on how well they reproduced together. I didn’t think they would choose a mate of the same sex.”

“Well, Kenny understands that kind of stuff better than I do, actually. But, I know that the dragon you choose to spend the rest of your life with isn’t necessarily the one you reproduce with. Actually, Kenny has several offspring from different females, but he _loves_ me. That’s not too strange, right?”

“I suppose not… It’s just a lot different than what humans do.”

Butters giggled, “I could understand why it would be an adjustment for you, being out here. It’s wonderful that Damien took you in… Speaking of which…?” He leaned forward, eyes implying more than he’d spoken.

Phillip blushed, “Oh, yes. He’s been just wonderful. There’s no way I would have survived so long without him.”

“How long have you been out here?”

“Oh, um…” Phillip paused, thinking, “… I think about three weeks? Maybe a month?”

“He’s been taking good care of you then. You’re not dead, after all.” They both laughed, but the joke made Phillip a little uncomfortable. An almost sly look made its way onto the dragon’s face, “So, are you two…?”

Phillip blushed darkly, “Oh, no! We’re not mates…”

“Well, I know that.” Butters giggled, “I mean are you two pairing off?”

“Um… Is that like dating?”

“I don’t know? What’s dating?”

Phillip shook his head, “Never mind. I don’t think we’re pairing off. I… I guess I’d like to… But I’m not sure how he feels about me.”

“Really? Because it seems like he’s already picked you.”

Phillip was about to ask what he meant by that, but the other two dragons walked up the river carrying a basket of fish, Kenny chatting rapidly.

Damien dropped the basket and went to the forest for firewood. Kenny took two of the fish and walked into the river, plopping down a few feet from shore, successfully soaking himself. Butters giggled and swam to him, coming to rest beside his mate. They each took a fish and bit into it, the scales and bones crunching and splitting between their powerful jaws.

Phillip shuddered at the gruesome sight and turned away.

Damien came back with wood and dropped it in a pile, a spit of fire igniting it in mere seconds. Phillip smiled and stood up from the water, going to the rock were he’d taken to sunning himself dry.

Damien’s red eyes were on him immediately.

“Winter’s coming soon.” Phillip said, covering himself as best he could without making it look like he was doing so.

Damien looked away, his eyes on Kenny now, “You can get him winter clothing, right?”

“’Course. I can get anything you need me to. He’s going to need blankets too, or he’ll freeze to death out here.”

“Right, thanks.” Damien replied, jamming a couple fish onto sticks and positioning them over the fire.

“Thank you, Kenny.” Phillip spoke up. 

The Abeo dragon turned to him and smiled, “Sure thing, Pipsqueak. Any friend of Damien’s is a friend of mine.”

Phillip made a face, “Pipsqueak?”

“Yeah,” The smile turned into a mischievous grin, “You’re tiny, a real Pipsqueak.”

“I’m not _that_ tiny.” 

“You’re pretty small…” Damien said, looking him over, “Pipsqueak seems pretty accurate.”

“Kinda long for a nickname though.” Kenny mused, “How about just Pip?”

“That works.”

“ _Excuse_ me,” Phillip spoke up, “But don’t I get a say in this?”

“No.” Damien and Kenny answered in unison, settling the matter.

Phillip huffed and crossed his arms, though he was secretly a little giddy at having his own nickname.


	4. Secrets

Phillip was a little surprised that the thick coat fit him so perfectly and that the shoes were his exact size. Kenny had soared off before he could give him any of his sizes, but had returned within two days with an assortment of clothing choices, all of which fit him.

“How did you know my size?” He asked, shrugging the coat off and setting it beside the nest.

“I didn’t.” Kenny clarified, “Well, not in that sense anyway. Abeo’s have a photographic memory, so I just knew what would fit you and what wouldn’t.”

“That’s incredible…”

Kenny shrugged, “How do you think we make such excellent Order Masters? We remember everything exactly, so it’s hard to screw up the job.”

“Did you get my order too?” Damien spoke up. Kenny nodded, grinning, and began digging through the large basket he used to carry the orders, “Of course. I wouldn’t leave out something so… special.” He lifted a cloth bag from the basket.

Damien growled and snatched it from him, “Hush. You don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. Not yet.”

“Yeah, yeah, gotcha. My lips are sealed.” He made a motion as though he was zipping his lips.

“Good.”

“May I ask what it is?” Phillip spoke up from the side of the nest.

“You may not.” Damien replied shortly, turning away from them and disappearing into the tunnel at the back of the cave. He’d done it several times since Phillip had been there, but he refused to take the blond with him through it, claiming it was a “dragon secret.”

The boy’s feelings were hurt by the reply. He turned to Kenny, “Another dragon secret?”

“Mmmfmfns.” Kenny mumbled, lips still tightly sealed together, “Mnfhns! Mhmhn!” He flailed, as though he was actually distraught that his lips were stuck.

Phillip giggled, finding the act amusing.

Kenny smiled and reached up, unzipping his mouth. “Yeah, you could call it that.” He said, “I’d just tell you, but he’d hurt me real bad for sure.”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t want that to happen.”

“Good to know. Do you want to come back to the river with me? I’m sure Butter’s is getting lonely all by himself.” Kenny offered.

The human shook his head, “No, thank you. I’m going to sort through what you so kindly brought for me. I may come down a little later though.”

“Mkay. See ya later.” He waved as he turned away and left the cave.

Once he was gone, Pip set to work sorting through the assortment of coats, pants, blankets, and other items that would keep him alive through the winter.

### 

Hours later Phillip began to worry when Damien did not reappear from the tunnel. He considered searching for him, but decided he didn’t want to risk the dragon becoming angry with him, so he settled for walking to the river instead. He sat down on the water’s edge and put his feet in the water, smiling when Butter’s swam up to him.

“I was wondering when you’d come by.” He said, voice angelic.

“I had to look through what Kenny was so kind to bring me.” Pip replied with a smile, “Speaking of which, where is he?”

“Hunting, I think. He took off about ten minutes ago. Where’s Damien?”

“Hiding out for some reason. He took a satchel that Kenny brought back with him and went through the tunnel at the back of the cave. That was hours ago and I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him.”

“What was in the satchel?”

Pip shrugged, “He wouldn’t tell me.”

“That’s interesting…” Butters paused, as though thinking, then suddenly he was grinning, a glint in his eye, “Have you two paired off yet?”

Pip sighed, “I don’t know what that means.”

“Well, it really seems like you have.”

“Why?”

Butters hummed and rolled onto his back, swimming in little circles in front of his friend, “See, most dragons aren’t really herd creatures; they don’t like company. There are a few exceptions, but Night Fang’s aren’t one of them. They like a lot of space so most of them don’t ever choose a mate and they rarely reproduce, which is why there are so few of them. I just think the fact that he’s let you stay with him for so long means he must really like you.”

“Well, I did save his life.” Pip explained, “He said that since I saved his that he would save mine, and by letting me stay he’s keeping me alive. I can’t exactly go back to my village, after all.”

Butters rolled back over and swam back to him, “I think it’s more than that though. Kenny and I have known him for years and he treats you better than us, not that I’m complaining or anything. He hunts for you, cooks your food for you, takes care of you, he’s protective of you… That’s not the Damien I know. He’s more selfish than that. I really think… He’s picked you.”

“But, what does that _mean_? Picked me for what?”

Butter’s opened his mouth to reply, then quickly shut it. A panicked looked crossed his face before he quickly disappeared beneath the water.

It was only then that Pip felt and heard the footsteps and looked over his shoulder.

Damien walked out from the tree line and continued toward him, a neutral expression on his face, “There you are.”

“Um… Yes.” The blond offered a smile.

“I got worried when you weren’t in the cave. I don’t like having you out of my sight for long.” He stopped next to the human and sat down.

“You were hiding out for the better part of the day.” Pip explained, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“Was I? I didn’t know it had been that long. I apologize.” He looked around, “Where are the other two? You’re not here by yourself, are you?”

“No. Butter’s is diving and Kenny is hunting, I believe.”

Damien frowned, “It’s not safe for you to be unguarded out here. You’re fine if you’re in the cave, but you should never be alone at the river.”

“But, I’m not alone.” Pip clarified. He jumped a little in surprise when he felt the tail wrap around his waist, holding him firmly but comfortably.

“I know, but you did come here by yourself once and you were nearly killed.” Damien looked down at him, eyes intense.

“Sorry…” Pip apologized, looking away.

“It’s alright, but don’t do it again.”

“I won’t, I promise.” He looked back up and gave Damien a sweet smile. It took a few seconds, but eventually Damien gave his own small smile in return.

The two sat in silence, staring out at the water. 

Phillip felt eyes on him again and looked back up. Damien was staring down at him, an almost worried look on his face.

“What?”

Damien slowly lifted his hand and gently pushed Pip’s shoulder with the back of it, easily moving the small human. The action only seemed to worsen his mood and he let the hand drop back to the ground, “It just… scares me how… fragile you are.”

The words surprised Pip, “… I’m… I’m not _that_ fragile. I can take care of myself just fine.”

“I know, but it doesn’t stop me from worrying. I could hurt you so easily without even meaning to…”

“Well, yes, I suppose you could… But I’d forgive you.” He offered a smile.

Damien, however, did not let up, “You have no idea how badly I could hurt you, Phillip, and that scares me more than anything.”

Pip was taken aback by his words. They were a little frightening, to say the least, and it didn’t help that he also found it strange that Damien was opening up about such things. He hardly talked in the weeks before, and now he wanted to share all his thoughts?

“Damien, is something wrong?” The blond asked, “Why are you suddenly telling me this? I’ve been out here three weeks and you haven’t hurt me at all thus far, why do you think that will change?”

Damien regarded him for several seconds before replying, “…Never mind. It’s not important right now. Are you hungry? I’ll go get you something if you’d like.”

“No, I’m not. I want to talk about this. Why are you acting like this so suddenly? Can’t you tell me, please?”

“No, I can’t, and you’d be smart to drop the subject.” Damien snapped, standing, “I’m sure Kenny will bring you something when you’re hungry. If you need me, I’ll be in the cave.”

“Hiding out in back, I presume?” Pip replied bitterly, crossing his arms as the tail left him.

“Yes.” Damien growled back before taking his leave.

Once he was gone, Pip let out a little huff of anger, clenching his teeth.

Butters resurfaced seconds later, looking up at him, “Are you alright?”

“… No. No, I’m not.”

The water dragon pulled himself out of the water and sat beside his friend, putting an arm across his shoulders. “What’s wrong?” He asked softly, a kind tone in his voice.

“He just… Starts going on about how he’s worried about me, and when I ask him why, he gets snappish and leaves. I’m just… hurt, I guess. Hurt and confused.”

“It’ll be okay,” Butters soothed, “Damien’s never been one to express his feelings, so I’m sure he’s just awkward and unsure of how to go about it. He may not know why he’s feeling what he is himself.”

“Maybe.” Phillip muttered, looking down at his lap, “I know you won’t think me stupid for saying this, so I’ll get it out. I actually really like him, and I suppose I would like it very much if we were mates. I just can’t tell how he feels about me, so I’m afraid of getting my hopes up, only to have them crushed. He’s always reacted so neutrally to everything that I never thought he was interested. That, and before meeting you I was under the impression that dragon’s mated based on reproduction value, which I did not have to him since I’m male.”

Butters hummed lightly and squeezed Pip’s shoulders, “All I can offer is what I explained earlier. At the very least he’s taken a liking to you and I can’t see him ever turning you away. He obviously cares about you.”

“Yeah, I suppose there’s that at least.”

A loud thumping behind them signaled the arrival of the Abeo dragon, who dropped off a large deer he’d snagged. “Who’s hungry?” He called.

Phillip sighed and stood up, helping the graceless water dragon to his feet as well and assisting him as they made their way toward the meal.

### 

Later that night Phillip climbed into the nest alone. He’d grown used to the Night Fang’s impressive body heat, so he had to get a blanket before he was comfortable enough to fall asleep in the empty nest.


	5. United

The next morning when Phillip awoke he found himself curled up against Damien’s side, the dragon still sleeping deeply. He carefully pushed himself up and stretched, letting out a long yawn before climbing out of the nest. He shivered at the chill in the air and pulled a coat on. Winter was definitely closing in, which would mean no more dips in the river to wash off.

Maybe he should ask Kenny to get him a large pot that he could use to heat up water to bathe in… Would that be asking too much?

A cold wind blew through the cave, making the blond shiver again. He considered heading to the river, but decided he didn’t want to go to simply sit on the bank shivering. Instead, he shed the coat and crawled back into the nest, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to relax awhile longer. He pulled the blanket over himself and curled a little closer to the warm dragon next to him.

Damien made a noise when Phillip accidentally brushed him and reached out, gripping the blond with a clawed hand. Pip let out a surprised squeak when Damien pulled him against him, wrapping his other arm around the thin body.

Phillip relaxed and laid his head down on a powerful chest, loving the warmth surrounding him. He rested his eyes and listened to the dragon’s deep, even breathing and loud, rhythmic heartbeat. 

Paradise.

Damien suddenly shifted and groaned, squeezing the blond against him. A hand came up from behind Phillip and he could feel claws slowly and gently running through his hair.

“Are you awake?” Phillip nearly whispered, enjoying the sensation.

“No.” Came Damien’s deep, rumbling voice, “Go back to sleep.”

Pip giggled at the answer and moved his hand to rest on Damien’s chest. His fingers brushed rough skin and the blond realized that it was the scar on the dragon’s chest. He lifted his head slightly to look at the discolored skin. It spanned from Damien’s chest to his right shoulder, marking nearly the exact area that the wound had been years previous.

“It must’ve hurt so much…” Phillip muttered without realizing it. 

Damien hummed, gently grabbing the human’s thin wrist, “It did, but it was much better after you tended to it.”

The way Damien’s hand easily wrapped his wrist was interesting to Pip. The dragon’s hands were huge, making his wrist look even smaller than it actually was. 

“I didn’t really do that much,” Pip replied, “I didn’t even have proper bandages, I just used my shirt.”

“That was thoughtful of you.”

“I guess.” He rested his head back on the dragon’s chest and smiled when he felt claws running through his hair again. They seemed to move slowly and carefully, as though Damien was afraid that if he moved any less cautiously he would tear through the blond’s soft flesh. He very easily could.

“Phillip?” Damien’s chest rumbled when he spoke.

“Hm?” The blond lifted his head slightly to look at the alpha male.

“I made something for you.” He shifted enough to reach to his right and gently lifted something from the side of the nest.

They both sat up and Damien presented his hand. Draped delicately across his palm was a necklace made of string and wire. The thick, black string was the main part of the necklace and hanging off of it with wires were various gems, shells, and a tooth. In the center was a small wad of cloth tightly wrapped around the string and secured with one wire. It was a faded white, but had a large maroon stain across most of it.

“You made that? For me?” Phillip asked, blush spreading across his features.

Damien nodded, “Is it okay? Should I try again?”

“No, it’s beautiful!” Pip replied excitedly.

“You like it then?”

“I love it!”

Damien gave a small smile, “May I put it on you?”

Phillip nodded and turned around. The necklace was gently slipped around his neck and he could feel Damien sealing it together in the back. He turned back around a lifted a hand to investigate each item, “These gems are amazing. Where did you get them?”

“I have a stash in the tunnel… I’ll show you, if you like.”

“I’d love to see them.” Phillip smiled at him, then turned his attention back to the necklace, “These shells are from the river, I assume?”

“Yeah. There’s one from here and one from where the river comes closest to your village.”

Phillip was surprised at that, “Why?”

“Because that’s what I’m supposed to do…?” Damien gave him an odd look, as though he thought perhaps Phillip was joking with him.

“Oh, right.” Pip replied dumbly, though he still didn’t understand. “What’s this tooth from?”

“The Centaur. I cleaned it well.”

“Oh, good.” It was a little gross, but still thoughtful. “What’s this cloth from?”

“It’s your shirt, from the day we met. It has my blood on it.”

“How… Sweet.” Phillip smiled, though it was slightly forced. He couldn’t help being a little freaked out at what was wrapped around his neck, but it didn’t bother him too much because it was surprisingly thoughtful.

“Sorry, I know it’s a little gross for you,” Damien apologized, “But, it had the most value and since other creatures will be able to smell it, it will keep you safe.”

“Thank you so much.” Phillip smiled brightly, “This is wonderful!”

Damien smiled in return, “I’m happy you like it.” 

Pip squeaked when the larger male pulled him against him and nuzzled his head. The sudden increase in attention as of late surprised and confused Pip, but he wasn’t complaining. He relaxed into the warmth and let Damien hold him tight. He felt tiny and fragile in comparison to the large and powerful dragon, but he found himself enjoying the way he felt protected.

“So, the answer is ‘yes,’ then?” Damien rumbled. 

“Hm?” The blond hummed, looking up at the dragon, “Yes to what?”

Damien moved away from him, looking down, a mix of confusion and irritation on his face, “What do you mean ‘yes to what?’ I made you a necklace. The question should be obvious.”

“Oh, well, I’m not education on dragon customs, Damien. I don’t know what the question is.” Phillip replied apologetically.

Damien looked down at him silently for several seconds, looking almost hurt, “… It’s not important. Forget I said anything. Are you hungry?”

“Damien, I’m sorry. You could just explain…”

The dragon stood and stepped out of the nest, “I’ll go find us breakfast.”

“Damien, wait, please!” Pip called, but it was no use. Damien ignored him and took flight.

Phillip whimpered, resisting the sudden urge to cry, and quickly climbed out of the nest. He put his shoes and a coat on and left the cave, heading hastily to the river.

He stopped just past the tree line and blushed madly. Kenny and Butters were in the river, wrapped in each other’s arms and kissing deeply. He backed up, planning on leaving the two to their own devices, but they parted and Butter’s spotted him.

“Hi, Pip!” He called.

“Hello,” Phillip replied, “I didn’t mean to intrude, sorry. I’ll come back later.”

“Oh, nonsense.” Butters smiled and moved away from Kenny, “We’re not busy.”

“Kay, well, that’s up for debate…” Kenny grumbled irritably, following his mate toward the shore.

Phillip smiled and walked to the river, setting down on the bank. Kenny sat down in the water close to him, while Butter’s rested on his stomach. 

There was more sunlight here than around the cave and Pip found himself feeling a little over heated. He opened the coat, but did not remove it.

Butter’s suddenly gasped and squealed loudly, making the other two jump in surprise. He came out of the water like a bullet and tackled Phillip, sending them both to the ground.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so happy for you!” Butters squealed and giggled with joy, squeezing his friend tightly. 

“Um, what?” Phillip grunted, finding it a little difficult to breathe.

Butters released him and they both sat up. The water dragon was smiling like an idiot as he poked a finger at the human, “I knew it I knew it I knew it! I was _right_!” He laughed.

“I’m both surprised and not surprised at the same time.” Kenny said, “It’s a really strange conflict of emotions.”

“I’m just confused.” Pip spoke up, “Right about what?”

“Right about what?” Butters giggled, leaning forward, “He _made_ you the _necklace_! How can it _not_ be obvious?”

Pip looked away sadly, “What’s almost exactly what Damien said…”

Butters’ face fell, “What? You mean… You didn’t say yes?”

“I couldn’t. I don’t know what the question is. He wouldn’t tell me either, he just said not to worry about it and left.”

“Oh… Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.” Butters whimpered, placing his hand against his mouth, “He let you keep the necklace though, so there’s still hope…”

“Well I can’t do much if I don’t know what the _question is_.” Phillip grumbled.

Butters slipped back into the water as Kenny spoke, “I don’t know how human customs work, but dragon’s give each other items to show affection. Not just any old junk or even the most priceless gem, either. The item has to have sentimental value or some kind of meaning. The more the item means to the dragon the more valuable it is, obviously. When a dragon wants to court a mate, they make a necklace with items of sentimental value or that represent some event in their lives. Gems are to make the necklace more appealing to the eye. The receiving dragon can either accept or reject the necklace. If they accept, the necklace is made to be near-permanent. It doesn’t come off unless you rip it off. This is because dragon’s mate for life, unless the mate dies, then the living dragon may court again. The gems are also all eventually replaced with sentimental items from the two dragons’ lives together and once they are gone you can simply add more items. If the receiving dragon rejects the necklace, the courting dragon may either give up and court another, or make a new necklace and try again. Courting can last anywhere from one day to many years.”

Kenny’s explanation suddenly made everything a lot clearer.

The cloth from the day they met, the tooth of the Centaur that brought them together again, and shells from their homes.

“He… wants me as a mate?” Pip asked, dumbfounded.

“Looks like it.” Butters grinned.

“I suggest you head back and formerly accept or reject the offer before he comes barking at me for advice. You’re a lot easier to give advice to than him.”

“Right… Thank you. Thank you so much!” Phillip quickly stood and jogged back to the cave. 

Damien was not there, which wasn’t surprising, though it still upset Phillip. He told himself that Damien was simply out hunting, but he couldn’t help but worry that the dragon wouldn’t return. He sat in the nest and waited, thinking over what he could say. Should be apologize for not knowing? Just flat out say yes? Maybe he should try some kind of humor? No, that was a dumb thought.

A large shadow drew his attention. He could hear a creature screaming high above the cave, the sound slowly growing louder. Phillip barely jumped when a deer landed with a sickening thud just outside the cave, the screams silenced.

Damien landed seconds later. He lit the fire pit before picking up the deer and hanging it in a tree by its hind legs. With a quick swipe of his razor sharp claws the deer’s neck burst open and blood poured out onto the ground.

Phillip quietly climbed out of the nest and trotted toward the dragon. “Damien?”

The dragon’s attention was immediately on him. Red eyes narrowed on the necklace before looking back up at his face, expression expectant.

Pip shifted, unsure of how to voice his feelings, “I… I went to the river.”

Damien gave him an irritated look, “Didn’t I tell you yesterday not to do that? It’s dangerous on your own.”

“Well I _had_ to talk to someone after you left like that! Besides, I have the necklace. You said the smell would help protect me.”

“Right, right, the necklace,” Damien muttered, looking away, “How could I forget about _that_.” It was more of a sarcastic remark than a question.

“Damien… I talked to Leo and Kenny. They told me what the necklace is for… And, if the question is still open…The answer is yes…”

Damien stared down at him, obviously surprised, but seemingly wary “…You don’t have to accept out of pity.”

“I’m _not_. I _want_ to be your mate. You can ask me all you want, the answer will _always_ be _yes_.”

There was a long moment of silence in which the two simply stared at one another; Pip hopeful and Damien unsure.

Finally, the dragon spoke, voice low, “Phillip… Will you be my mate?”

Pip smiled brightly, “Yes! Nothing would make me happier!”

A real smile spread over Damien’s face as he reached out and gently gripped the blond’s shoulders. The smile was beautiful, Pip thought, his heart hammering in his chest as the dragon leaned closer.

Their lips connected.

Pip felt as though he were on Cloud 9 as he wrapped his arms around Damien’s neck. The kiss was a little sloppy, it being their first time, but it was deep and passionate and so perfect. He heard Damien let out a noise like a growl before suddenly his feet left the ground and the kiss was broken. He squeaked as Damien lifted him into a comfortable position in his arms.

Pip tightened his grip around the dragon’s neck, looking down at the ground far below him, “Put me down!”

“Why?”

“It’s so high!” Pip squeaked, “What if you drop me?”

“I won’t drop you,” Damien reassured with a gentle smile, “I promise.”

“Okay…” Phillip replied, feeling a little better. He did feel safe in the dragon’s strong arms and he doubted that he seemed very heavy.

“You’re so beautiful…” Damien murmured.

The blond’s face heated up, “I’m glad you think so…” 

“I know so. It’s a fact, not an opinion.” He lightly brushed their lips together, “May I bed you tonight?”

“W-what?” Phillip asked, too caught up in everything to understand what Damien had meant.

“May I bed you? Make you my mate… physically.”

“Oh!” Pip’s face went bright red, “Um…”

“I apologize,” The dragon said sincerely, “I don’t mean to pressure you into something you’re not ready for.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine! I… Yes, I would like it very much of maybe we could… Mate. Tonight.” Pip replied shyly, face keeping its pink hue. 

Damien smiled and pressed their lips together in another kiss just as wonderful as the first.

### 

“It’s so cold!” Pip shuddered as he climbed into the nest and pulled the blanket around himself. He listened as Damien kicked the fire out and wandered into the cave with him.

Outside, the sun was sitting on the horizon. The slowly sinking sunlight took its warmth with it, leaving the air chilly and the ground cold.

Damien climbed into the nest beside him, bringing with him his natural warmth. He leaned down and gently kissed the blond’s temple, “Perhaps I could warm you up?”

Pip blushed, remembering their short discussion hours previous, “I would be okay with that…”

The dragon grinned and shifted to hover on all fours above the blond. He began placing gentle kisses along a smooth neck, being careful not to get his horns too close to a pretty face.

The blond sighed at the treatment and shivered when his blanket was suddenly pulled away, exposing him to the cold. He wasn’t cold for long, however, as he felt Damien’s warmth radiating from him. 

Damien suddenly stopped and sat back slightly, looking down at his hands with a frown. Pip looked as well at the two large hands resting on his hips. Each finger was tipped with a black claw at least two inches in length and very sharp.

“We can’t do this.” Damien suddenly proclaimed, looking away in shame.

“Why not?” Pip protested, reaching down to rest his hand on top of one of Damien’s.

“I’m going to hurt you. You’re soft and fragile and I’m nothing but sharp edges.”

“That’s not true… You have a soft heart.” 

“Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean shit when my hands are nothing but talons.” Damien replied bitterly.

“Damien…” Pip gently reached up and gripped one of the large horns growing from the dragon’s head, pulling him down, “I trust you. I want to do this.” He pulled him into a kiss.

The alpha male immediately responded, deepening the kiss.

When they parted Phillip smiled. “Here,” He sat up slightly, “I’ll help you get started.” He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off, feeling only slightly embarrassed. The necklace felt strange against his skin, but he loved being able to feel it there. He laid back before gently grabbing one of Damien’s hands and holding it against his chest.

The dragon gazed down at him adoringly, “I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you…”

“You won’t hurt me.” Pip reassured with a smile.

Damien relented. He gently ran the back of his hands down the thin torso, making the blond shudder. Very carefully he slipped clawed fingers under the rim of Pip’s pants and slowly slid them off.

Pip shivered as his body was completely exposed to the slight breeze in the cave. He blushed when he noticed Damien gazing down at him, lust obvious in his eyes. He could practically feel the dragon’s desperate need for him.

Two powerful arms suddenly picked up his small hips and lifted them off the ground. Pip whimpered when he could feel Damien’s breath brushing against his erect member. His breath caught in his throat when Damien’s tongue slowly ran along the length, tasting him. His hands clenched the fur below him and he let out a little gasp when the dragon took him in his mouth and gave a gentle suck.

“Damien.” Pip whimpered as the dragon bobbed his head, licking and sucking.

The dragon ceased his torture all too soon and instead made his way lower, lightly nuzzling Pip’s ass. The blond gasped and jerked when he felt a tongue gently lick his entrance. He let out a strangled yelp when the prodding tongue suddenly slipped through the tight ring of muscles, gently loosening them. Pip shuddered at the foreign intrusion, his toes curling. It seemed a bit gross, but he couldn’t say that it didn’t feel wonderful. Damien’s tongue was hot and wet as it slipped in and out, its thickness and depth a pleasant surprise.

Once he was finished, Damien gently sat the blond’s hip’s back down. He instead focused his attention back on kissing and sucking on the human’s neck and torso. 

Pip sighed and whimpered at the attention, resting a hand in black hair as the dragon slowly worked his way down his torso. He paid gentle attention to each nipple and focused hard on a spot on the collar bone that made the blond moan.

“You’re going to have to stretch yourself.” Damien muttered against Pip’s stomach, giving his belly button a lick before coming back up to capture the blond’s lips in a heated kiss.

When they parted Pip sat himself up slightly and began to lick and suck on his own fingers. He reached down and gently rubbed at his entrance. It was still wet with Damien’s saliva. Damien’s full attention was on him, making him feel both excited and embarrassed at the same time. His eyes fell on the dragon’s impressive manhood, which had slipped from it’s hiding place to eagerly await what was to come. It was long and thick with a slight bulge to it near the middle. The tip was slightly pointed and at the base was a large knot.

Pip couldn’t help but worry that it wouldn’t fit. It was definitely going to hurt.

He gasped when he slipped the first finger inside himself and a shiver ran up his spine when he saw “little” Damien twitch in response. He worked the finger inside of himself before adding a second. It hurt slightly, but he didn’t show it. He gently scissored them and stretched his hole, keeping his eyes on Damien the entire time.

The dragon was gazing down at him hungrily, obviously enjoying the show. His member was leaking pre-cum, making it glisten in the low light.

“I have an idea.” Damien suddenly proclaimed, “Don’t take your fingers out.”

“Okay.” Pip whispered, waiting obediently. He watched as Damien reached down and grabbed his tail, pressing the tip against the puckered entrance. The blond faltered, “Damien? I’m not sure about this.”

He was either ignored or unheard because the tail was suddenly inside him. He yelped at the sudden pain, which thankfully subsided quickly. He removed his fingers to grip fur instead as the tail slowly thrust into him.

“Is this okay?” Damien asked. Pip nodded, relaxing around the intrusion. He laid back and allowed himself to enjoy the odd sensation.

He nearly choked and his hips spasmed when the tail brushed something inside him.

“Fuck,” Damien grunted, obviously aroused, “Do that again.”

“ _You_ did that.” Pip explained, “Do it again.”

He felt the tail explore the area until suddenly his hips went wild again and he threw his head back to let out a moan.

“Wow.” Damien breathed, shivering. The tail continuously prodded that spot, making the blond’s back arch as his moans grew louder. Damien couldn’t seem to get enough of the reaction and repeated it several more times.

Finally he relented and the tail was gone, leaving Phillip feeling slightly empty.

“Are you ready?” Damien asked, gently picking up Pip’s hips.

“Yeah…” Pip whimpered, looking down at the scene.

It would be a miracle if that fit inside him, he thought.

“Relax…” Damien pressed the tip against the blond’s tight entrance. He slowly increased the pressure until the entrance yielded and he slowly slid inside, spreading the tight walls.

The pre-cum made the intrusion feel strange and slimy, but it slid in smoothly. It felt as if there was a layer of soft flesh over a harder core. Despite it’s thickness, it wasn’t too painful of a stretch thanks to the light cushion of the soft layer.

“Stop.” Pip whimpered, pulling away slightly in pain after more than two inches.

“Sorry.” Damien muttered, halting his advance.

Pip took a few deep breaths, willing himself to relax. The pain slowly subsided until it was just a dull ache, “Okay, go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t want to hurt you. We can stop.”

“Please, I don’t want to…” 

“Okay…” Damien continued at a slow pace.

Pip bit his lip as the pain returned, but he decided to ignore it.

Damien ceased his movement again sometime later, “Okay, I’m in.”

“Wow…” The blond whimpered. Though it hurt, he couldn’t help but feel incredibly full, complete. He was glad that it had fit.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Yeah, a little…”

“We can still stop.”

“No, I want this…” 

Damien grunted. He began placing kisses across the blond’s perfect face, neck, and collar. Pip wrapped his arms around the dragon’s neck and hummed in contentment at the attention.

It was several minutes later before he gave the command to move.

Damien slowly pulled out before gently pushing back in. The sensation made Pip squirm, but it didn’t hurt.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, don’t stop…”

The dragon slowly increased the speed of his thrusts, being careful not to cut the blond with his claws or be too rough. 

Pip couldn’t help but look down at the scene. He shuddered in arousal as he watched the thick piece of meat work its way in and out of him, making his abdomen move. Each thrust pushed the knot against his entrance, but not inside. At least, not yet.

Over a period of several minutes the thrusts slowly increased in speed and power.

Pip arched into the thrusts slightly, hands clenched in fur. “F-faster…” He breathed.

Damien sped up, “Good?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“God, so good…” Pip whimpered, panting. He couldn’t believe how amazing the large member felt inside him. Every few thrusts rubbed against that spot inside him, making him squeak louder in pleasure. He spread his legs more to allow Damien in deeper, if possible.

“Yeah, me too…” Damien panted, “Fuck, so tight…” He gripped the blond’s hips a little tighter, thrusting just slightly harder. The noises coming from the beautiful blond below him made shivers run up his spine.

Pip grunted and gasped, gripping Damien’s wrists in need. He loved how powerful and hot each thrust felt deep inside him, wracking his insides with pleasure. “Oh, god, Damien… God! Ooohhh…” He panted and rolled his hips into the thrusts, shaking with pleasure.

“Fuck!” Damien hissed. He suddenly paused, repositioned himself, and began thrusting again, much harder and faster than before.

“Oh, GOD!” Pip screamed, hips jerking with explosions of pleasure from each well-placed and harder thrust, “DAMIEN!”

Damien was panting and growling above him, completely lost in the pleasure. He’d gone into primal mode and there was no going back. 

“I’m so close!” Pip squealed, “I’m gonna come!”

“Fuck, me too!” Damien snarled.

Phillip felt the dragon suddenly spasm slightly and his thrusts became wild. He shuddered and pushed himself in as deep as he could go. Suddenly Pip’s back shot off the nest of fur when Damien’s member was suddenly _trembling_ inside him, forcing him to an incredible climax. Just as he was coming down, Damien gave another hard thrust and his member spasmed harshly again, making the blond see stars. His lover’s seed filled him, making a warmth spread through his abdomen.

The third thrust was the final one. It was hard, painfully so, and it wasn’t until Pip felt the swelling that he realized why. The knot was buried inside him and growing larger. It ceased soon enough, but pulling it out at that size would be all but impossible, not to mention dangerous.

The two panted loudly, trying to regain some sort of sense.

“What… happened…?” Pip panted, completely limp and unmoving.

“Huh?” Damien panted back, mind slightly fogged.

“It… vibrated…”

“Yours doesn’t?”

“No!”

“Oh… I don’t know…”

“And… the knot?”

“That’ll go away in a minute.”

Pip sighed, breathing and heartbeat finally coming close to normal again, “That was amazing…”

“I’m glad it was good for you too… I was afraid I would hurt you…”

The blond reached up and pulled the dragon down for a kiss. It didn’t last long, as both were still having some breathing trouble, but Damien gently nuzzled him when they parted, “You’re so perfect…”

“I love you, Damien.”

“I love you too.” He gave the blond a gentle peck before sitting up. Gently, he rock his hips, making the knot inside shift. It was already pressing against Phillip’s prostate, so the slight movements made the blond gasp and moan. The sensation continued for several moments, in which Pip’s toes were curled and his fingers clutched at the fur. Finally, the swelling decreased and Damien was able to remove the knot without too much effort. His cock quickly withdrew into his body again.

Pip felt empty without it inside him, but he didn’t dwell on that long. A shiver ran up his body when he felt Damien’s seed leaking from him.

Quickly, the dragon grabbed a nearby blanket and slipped it under the blond. “Sorry, I forgot about that.”

“It’s okay.” Pip chuckled softly.

With a grin, Damien leaned down and licked up Pip’s semen, which had splattered onto his chest and stomach when he came. While doing so, he gently cleaned Pip’s rump with the blanket. 

Once the blond was clean and free of bodily fluids, Damien tossed the blanket aside and laid down next to him. Pip hummed happily when he was wrapped in a warm embrace. He rested his head on a muscular torso and listened to the steady hum of Damien’s breathing. The two fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the story continues! There will be a total of twelve (12) chapters. I'd have them all up (since they're done) but A3's copy-paste HTML format means I'm having to go through my story chapter by chapter and adjust a lot of stuff. Shouldn't take more than a few days though.


	6. Crowded

The sunlight streaming down from the sky warmed Phillip’s skin. He sighed and relaxed in the soft green grass just outside his home, basking in the warmth of spring. The snow from winter had melted, bringing water to the plants and the river flowed stronger and wider than before from the melted ice.

“I love spring.” Pip commented, leaning his head on his mates arm.

Damien hummed in response, wrapping his tail around a thin waist, “The river should warm back up within a month. Kenny and Leo will wander back once it does.”

The two had left before the ice set in. Butters couldn’t stay in cold water, so the two had traveled to the ocean for winter.

“I can’t wait to see them again.” Pip said with a smile. He missed his two close friends.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Damien asked, climbing to his feet.

“Oh yes, I’d love to!” Pip took the hand that was offered to him and was pulled to his feet with ease.

The couple set off into the forest side-by-side, Damien’s tail still keeping a firm grip on the blond’s hips.

The forest was alive with sounds. Pip could hear birds singing high above them and small critters scurried across the ground. It was peaceful and serene. The dragon’s steps were slow to allow him to keep up.

“It’s so beautiful out here.” Phillip commented, gripping Damien’s hand, “It was always a little sad to me that I was the only one in the village who could see it.”

“Do you ever miss them? The villagers?”

“I miss my mother.” Pip replied, “But, that’s really about it.”

“I’m sorry.” Damien said sincerely, giving the blond’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Don’t be,” Pip said with a smile, “I’m much happier here with you than I ever was there.”

Damien halted, forcing to the blond to stop as well. He put a hand on either small shoulder and leaned down, “I love you, Pipsqueak.”

Pip didn’t have time to reply before a pair of lips was pressed passionately to his. He melted into the warmth and love behind the act and wrapped his arms around the dragon’s neck.

The kiss ended and they embraced instead. Damien’s arms circled him in a loving, strong, and protective hold, face buried in blond hair. Pip nuzzled his chest and allowed himself to be held. 

“May I make love to you?” Damien whispered, squeezing the blond just a bit tighter.

“Here?”

“Yes.”

Pip blushed, “Yes, I think I’d like that.”

He was on his back seconds later, the dragon pushing his shirt up to get at the pale flesh beneath it. He licked, nipped and sucked every inch of skin he could reach, making the blond squirm in pleasure.

Damien suddenly stopped his torture and looked into the forest, frozen.

“…Damien?” Pip questioned meekly.

“Hush.” He commanded, eyes scanning the trees. He was stiff and unmoving as he silently listened. 

Pip listened as well, but couldn't hear anything. The forest was silent; no birds singing or insects buzzing or critters scurrying.

It took several seconds for the realization to sink in.

Dead silence. 

Damien suddenly let out a snarl that frightened Phillip as he climbed to his feet. He pulled the blond up and stood defensively in front of him. 

“Damien?” Pip tried again. This time he was silenced when a large beast stumbled out of the forest.

It was clearly a draganoid, but it walked on all fours rather than just on its back feet, making it seem more primal and terrifying. The incredibly large wings that jutted out of its back were pink with black on the tips and were slightly opened. The base of its incredibly long tail was also pink, but quickly turned to black, its hands and feet following the same color scheme. Its horns were two long, twisted, black spirals that jutted from its head of brown hair and pointed toward its back. It wasn’t particularly muscular, more on the thin side really, but its legs, arms, and torso seemed abnormally long. Its skin was sickly pale and had an almost green tint to it.

It turned in their direction, milky eyes on the blond, and let out a freakish, strangled snarl, as though there were water or muck in its throat and lungs. Its bared teeth were long, pointed, and oddly pink, the gums black. It tilted its head awkwardly.

“Run.” Damien commanded, “The cave is directly behind you. When you get there, go through the tunnel like I showed you and don’t come out until I come for you.”

“But-!”

“ _Don’t_ argue!” Damien snarled, “ _Please_ just run!” He sounded desperate.

Pip wanted to argue, but the foreign dragon let out a high-pitched shriek and stood, towering over even Damien by at least foot. It was enough to get the blond running. He heard the two dragon’s suddenly clash in a sickening crash of claws and teeth. Even after he cleared the forest and got into the cave, he could still hear the two screaming and snarling and smacking into trees, likely tearing each other apart.

Only one was going to walk away from that fight.

Pip whimpered and curled under a blanket in the nest. He knew he was disobeying orders, but he couldn’t bring himself to go into the tunnel. For one, it was a little frightening back there alone, and two he felt as though he would be completely abandoning his mate.

The ruckus didn’t continue for too much longer. There was a scream and a sickening “pop!” that echoed through the forest, followed by dead silence. Not even the forest creatures were making a sound. It was almost deafening.

Phillip became ill when several minutes ticked by with no sign from Damien. Even the wildlife slowly began making noise again. The blond reached down and gripped his necklace, curling into himself further as he felt tears slowly make their way forth.

He quietly sobbed as another several minutes ticked by. Still nothing from Damien.

A sudden thudding made him go silent. He listened silently, fearing the worst.

Footsteps. He couldn’t tell if they belonged to Damien, or that beast who had attacked them.

Something heavy was dropped just outside the cave, making the blond flinch. He heard it enter the cave and mess around with the blankets next to the nest. He silently berated himself for not going into the tunnel as Damien had instructed.

“…Phillip?”

The blond gasped and sat up, throwing the blanket off in the process.

Damien stared down at him, torso drenched in blood. 

“Damien!” Pip sobbed, scrambling to stand. He stared at the blood in horror.

“I should have gone to the river first.” Damien said, looking down at himself, “But I was worried about you so I came back. I’m fine, I promise.”

Pips sobs turned to sniffles as he calmed himself. Damien gently gripped his shoulders and leaned down, connecting them in a gentle kiss.

“Come on,” He said after they’d parted, “Come with me to the river.”

“O-okay.” Pip whimpered, stepping out of the nest.

He followed Damien outside and toward the fire pit. He gasped and stopped when he saw the head lying on the ground beside the pit, “Why do you have that?”

“Because I have to dispose of it properly.” He spit a blue flame, igniting the head in a blaze of fire.

“What do you mean?”

“Come on.” He turned away from the flaming head and began walking toward the river, the blond following close behind.

“What was wrong with it?” Pip asked.

“He was sick. It’s a disease a lot like rabies, but the infected become more mindless and violent and they don’t foam at the mouth. It’s spread from dragon to dragon through saliva, but humans can catch it with just a cut.”

“Is that why you sent me away so quickly?”

“Yes. I couldn’t risk you catching it. There isn’t a cure. Within a few days you would have turned on me and I would be forced to either put you down or catch it myself, and I don’t think I could have put you down.”

The statement made Pip’s heart flutter, “What about you? You’re hurt. Are you going to get sick?”

“No. I have a better immune system than you. These are only scratches; they will do nothing. He didn’t bite me so I’ll be fine.”

“But, won’t there be more? Will they attack us again?”

“It’s a rare disease, so I doubt we’ll see any infected for a long while. We’re safe now.”

They stopped on the bank of the river. Damien barely hesitated before stepping in. The water was still chilly. He sat himself down in the water and began washing off as Pip took a seat on the bank next to him.

“What took you so long to get back?”

“I had to retrace his trail to make sure he hadn’t bitten anyone else.” Damien explained as he washed the blood off, revealing deep cuts all across is torso, “I found his nest. He killed his mate.”

“My god, that’s awful…”

“They had an egg. Well, two eggs. One was smashed, but the other was still intact.”

“What did you do with it?”

“I brought it back, of course. I’m going to cook it for you.”

“ _What_?!” Pip yelled, standing, “You can’t just eat someone else’s child!”

“I’m not. It’s an egg.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s not a life! It’s going to hatch!”

“But… They’re good.” Damien defended weakly.

“You are _not_ going to cook that egg!” Pip said sternly, hands on his hips.

“Fine, I’ll just get rid of it then.” Damien relented.

“No! You can’t just _kill_ it!”

“Then what the hell do you want me to do with it?” Damien growled, becoming irritated, “We can’t just keep the damn thing.”

“And why not?”

“ _What_?”

“Why can’t we just keep it? We could raise it like our own.”

“Absolutely _not_!” Damien snapped, “Night Fang’s don’t even raise their own young, why would I raise someone else’s?” He stood from the water and shook himself off as best he could before stepping out.

“You don’t want to raise a child with me? Don’t want to be parents?” Pip whimpered, hurt.

“ _No_.” Damien said sternly, “I have _no_ desire for offspring.” He headed back toward the cave.

“But… Why not?” Pip asked, following close behind.

“Do I _need_ a reason? I hate children, it’s as simple as that.”

“You’re not even going to give it a _chance_?” Pip pleaded, threading his fingers together in a pleading gesture.

“No. If you don’t want it to be eaten, then I’m throwing it into the river.” 

“Please! Just give it a couple days, think it over!”

“Absolutely _not_ , Phillip!” 

The cave came into view. Pip ran past the dragon and into the cave, heading for the pile of blankets he suspected contained the egg.

He was right.

It was large, heavy, smooth, and pink. He held it against his chest and got into the nest, wrapping a blanket around it for warmth and holding it protectively.

“Phillip,” Damien snapped, “Do _not_ test me.”

“Just give it a chance!” Pip begged, “Please, I’ve _always_ wanted children but I assumed I could never have any because of my preference for males. _Please_ , we would be _great_ parents, I just know it!”

“Phillip, raising another dragon’s offspring is _completely_ unnatural. My own parents didn’t even raise me; Night Fang’s bury their eggs to hatch and survive on their own. _Why_ would I go against my natural instincts of _not_ raising a child?”

“Please, Damien, I _know_ you could be a wonderful father! I understand if you're afraid, because you were raised on your own, but you could be an even better parent than-”

“YOU SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!” Damien roared, terrifying the blond, “FINE! You can _keep_ the goddamn egg! But don’t you fucking _dare_ lecture me! You don’t know a _damn_ think about me so don’t act like you know _everything_!” He turned and stomped away, taking flight.

Pip whimpered at his mates harsh words. Never had he been so heartless toward him. He quietly pulled the egg a little tighter against him and laid down, waiting for Damien’s return.

### 

It was dusk when the Night Fang finally reappeared. 

Pip lay silently in the nest, not having moved since the fight. He didn’t say a word when Damien entered the cave.

“Are you hungry?” Damien asked, voice at a near whisper.

“No.” He was starving.

“Are you going to give me the egg?”

“No.”

“So be it.” He climbed into the nest and lay facing away from the small human.

No more words were exchanged; the silence tore at Pip’s heart.

### 

For three days, the silence continued. Damien brought him food when he felt like it and Pip forced himself to eat. They didn’t speak and once evening came around they slept facing away from one another.

It was on the fourth night that Pip finally snapped. He threw the blanket off and sat up, facing his mate, “Fine! You win, okay?!”

Damien sat up and looked at him.

“If you hate it so much then just take it!” He roughly shoved the egg into the dragon’s arms, “Kill it, eat it, whatever! Do what you want! I don’t care! But I don’t want to know!” He threw himself back down and pulled the blanket over his head, curling himself into a ball.

Damien paused, a little stunned. He reached out to place a hand on his mate, “… Phillip, you know it’s for the-” 

“Don’t!” Pip snapped, “Don’t lecture me! I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

He listened as Damien slowly left the nest and exited the cave, taking flight. He whimpered and sniffled before finally he began to silently cry, the tears streaming freely. All he’d wanted was a _chance_ to raise a child. He knew they would have made wonderful parents. It would have been perfect; him and Damien and their baby. A happy family. He quietly cried and felt sorry for himself, knowing full well an opportunity like that would never come again. And, even if it did, Damien would be quick to crush it.

Pip guessed that Damien had taken the egg and disposed of it somewhere far off, since it took quite some time for him to return.

He heard the large creature land outside and stomp into the cave.

“ _Fine_ , you know what?! _You_ win, alright?!” Damien snapped, “ _You_ win! You can _keep_ the damn egg!”

Pip sniffled and sat up, the blanket falling to his legs, “Huh?”

Damien shoved the egg back into his hands, “You were _right_ , okay?! I have family issues! Are you _happy_ now?!” He climbed into the nest and lay down, pulling the blond into his arms, “Starting tomorrow this stupid fight never happened. Now go to sleep.”

Pip squirmed a little closer, holding the egg between them and nuzzling Damien’s neck, “Thank you, Damien.”

“ _Don’t_ mention it.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, babe…” He kissed soft blond hair, “So much.”

Phillip relaxed into the warmth and let his mind rest. Finally at ease, he was able to fall asleep soundly in his mate’s arms.


	7. Error

A month ticked by with no change in the egg's status. Phillip grew worried, but Damien gently reassured him that dragon eggs could take anywhere from a month to a year to hatch, depending on the species. Since they had no idea how far along the egg was already, they had no way of accurately predicting when it would hatch.

“What species will it be?” Phillip had asked the morning after their fight.

Damien had paused, eyes staring into nothing for several seconds as he thought it over, “Well, now that I think about it...” He became quiet, eyes falling on the bundle in Pip's arms. His brows furrowed, as though something were worrying him.

“What's wrong?”

“Um... Nothing. It will probably be fine... I'm not sure of its species. I know the father was a Rosebud dragon and the mother was a Spark dragon, so I'm not sure if it'll be a combination of both or one or the other. Dragon's don't interbreed very often...”

“What do you mean 'it will probably be fine'?”

Damien had given him a soft smile, “Don't worry about it. Are you hungry?”

He hadn't been hungry, but he dropped the matter anyway. No sense in starting another fight.

But, after a month with no changes, he began to worry again.

Damien was catching up with Kenny up river, the duo having come back the previous night, leaving the two blonds by the waterfall on their own.

“Leo?” Phillip asked during a break in their conversation.

“Yes, Pip?” 

“Do you know how long it would take for a Rosebud or Spark dragon egg to hatch?” Perhaps this egg would take a hatch time in the middle of those two.

Butters titled his head, lifting himself out of the water to sit on the bank beside his friend, “Why?”

“Well...” Pip looked down at the egg in his arms, which was protectively covered in a small blanket, only the top peeking out, “Damien told me that those were its parent's species.”

“Oh...” Butters looked down at it, worried expression making its way onto his pretty face.

“What's wrong?”

“Oh, nothing! Haha.” He gave a weak laugh, “Um, let's see... I believe Rosebud dragon eggs take about four months to hatch, while Spark dragons can take as long as a year.”

“Oh...” Pip's mood dropped. He'd gotten his answer, but the thought of waiting so much longer was saddening. He liked taking care of the egg fine, but desperately wanted to meet the creature inside. His child.

“But, it doesn't have to take that long!” Butters reassured, “Besides, maybe it was already several months old when you picked it up.”

“Maybe...”

The water dragon gave a soft smile, “Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have your own little bundle of joy in no time.”

“I sure hope so. I've always wanted a child.”

Butter's face faltered slightly, and for a moment he looked as though he might say something, but whatever it was he dismissed it, “I'm sure you'd be a great dad.”

### 

It would be another month before anything changed. Phillip sat in the nest, egg in his lap, watching Damien start the fire to cook breakfast, when a crackling noise caught his attention. He loosened his grip on the egg to get a better look at it, and was thrilled when it moved slightly, the noise continuing. 

“Damien!”

His shout immediately had the dragon's attention. He quickly crossed the distance between them to hover over the blond.

“I think it's hatching!” Pip gasped excitedly.

“Put it down and leave it alone.” Damien instructed.

Pip gave him a confused look, “Shouldn't we help it?”

“Absolutely not. If it's not strong enough to get out of the egg on its own, then it won't be strong enough to survive out here on it's own.”

“But, it won't be alone,” The blond protested, “We'll take care of it.”

“No, Phillip. I understand if that's how humans work, but that doesn't cut it out here. We can't shelter it it's whole life. Then it won't be strong enough to take care of a family of its own, you understand? Leave it alone. It'll get out on its own.”

Phillip looked like he might argue, but the set up the egg against the side of the nest, “May I at least sit with it?”

“Of course, that's fine, but don't help it, alright? It's important that it does this on its own and in its own time. Interfering could damage the child within.”

“Alright...” Pip got comfortable and watched over the egg as Damien continued with breakfast.

Several hours later, the sun was sitting behind the horizon and the group of four gathered outside the cave for a small celebration. 

Pip and Butters sat outside on the grass, making light conversation while Damien and Kenny hovered over the egg. Phillip watched them, finding it amusing how two dragons, creatures said to be heartless brutes, could pay so much attention to a simple little egg.

The two stood and looked at one another, their mutual expressions of dread making Pip's stomach drop.

Damien gave a nod toward the two blond's, directing the Abeo dragon toward them.

Kenny left the cave and grinned as he neared them, “Hey, beautiful!” 

“Hi, Kenny.” Butter's giggled.

The Abeo knelt beside him, giving him a sweet peck on the cheek.

Pip looked back at Damien, who was looking at the ground, expression torn. He was about to get up and go to his mate, when the whispering caught his attention. 

He looked in time to see Kenny move away from where he'd obviously been whispering something in the water dragon's ear. Butters seemed confused and upset, but Kenny gave him a quick peck on the lips and stood, “Love ya, gorgeous.”

“Oh, um, I love you too.” He smiled back.

Kenny turned around and went back into the cave.

Pip's lips barely had time to form a question before Butter's was talking excitedly, “Hey! I'm feeling a little dry... It's a beautiful night, will you walk me back to the river and sit with me for a while?”

“Oh, um... But, what about the egg...?”

Butter's seemed to falter slightly, “Uh, well it probably won't hatch for a while longer... We won't miss anything. Please?” His eyes were oddly pleading, as though begging Pip to just go with it.

The human paused, curiosity and fear tearing at his chest. Was something wrong with the egg? He looked back at the two standing just inside the cave, talking quietly, expressions solemn.

Everyone was in the loop but him. But, surely Damien had a good reason for that? “... Yes, I'll walk you to the river.” He found himself saying.

All he could do was trust in his mate.

### 

Over an hour of sitting by the river later, Kenny came walking up.

“Hey! There you two are.” He stopped by the water's edge, smile in place, “You can head back to the cave now, Phillip. Thanks for taking care of Butters for me.”

“Of course.” Pip said with a smile of his own as he stood.

They waved him off as he walked back through the forest, pace increasing as he got closer to his home. He cleared the trees and was glad to see Damien sitting in the nest, holding something in his arms. The blond trotted up to him with a small smile, the dragon looking up at him as he entered.

Something was off.

The dragon seemed... worn, tired... guilty looking. 

“Damien?”

“I have something for you. Come here.”

The blond stepped closer, taking a seat on the rim of the nest. Damien gave a soft smile and handed him the bundle in his arms.

Pip took it carefully, finding it to be lighter than the egg. He shifted it more comfortably in his arms before lightly pulling at the folds of the blanket. He gasped when he pulled a fold back to reveal a serene face with a head of brown hair.

“It's a boy.” Damien said, moving to sit next to his mate.

Pip didn't say anything. He pulled the bundle closer and cradled it lovingly.

“We agreed on Koenraad, right?” Damien asked, putting a clawed hand on his mate's shoulder.

“Yes, yes of course...” Pip mumbled, finally snapping out of his daze, “I'm sorry... He's just... I love him so much...” He choked slightly, but swallowed it and placed a gentle kiss on his son's forehead.

“I love him too. And I love you.” Damien said, pressing a kiss to the blond's temple, “Come on, it's been a long day. Why don't we lay down?”

Phillip nodded, following his mate into the nest and into their usual position, plus one member.

Damien rested on his back, with Phillip against his side, head on his shoulder, and now a bundle of joy lying on his stomach.

Pip gave a small laugh, “We have a baby...”

“Are you scared?” Damien whispered.

“A little, I suppose... Excited mostly. I want to be a good father.”

“You will be.” He gently ran his hand through soft blond hair, “Now, rest, okay? We'll start fresh in the morning.”

“Will Koen be okay?”

“Yes, he'll probably sleep fine for the next couple of hours, so rest as much as you can because we'll probably be up a few times before sunrise.”

“Okay...” Pip giggled, “I love you, Damien. So much.”

“I love you too, Phillip.”

### 

Koen woke up twice during the night, but both times Damien attended to him, which was a little surprising to Phillip since in the beginning the dragon was so completely against a child.

“Damien?” He whispered the first time their son began to cry, “May I help?”

“No.” Damien replied, voice soft as he rocked the child, “I don't think you'll want to be the one to feed him.” He stood and stepped out of the nest.

“Why not? What do baby dragons eat?”

“Insects, mostly. And small rodents, but I'd need to chew them first.”

“Oh...” The blond shuddered at the thought, “Well, thank you for doing this then...”

“Yeah. Go back to sleep, okay?” Damien called as he left the cave to search for food.

Phillip obeyed without protest.

The next morning Koen woke them bright and early, his ear-piercing wail echoing in the cave. Damien grumbled a little as he sat up and gently cradled the boy, “I liked the egg a lot better...” He complained, though there was no malice in his voice so he very likely could have been joking.

It was hard to tell sometimes.

“Is there any way I could help?” Pip asked as he too got up.

“I guess you could try to catch insects if you wanted, but most of them around here have stingers so I don't think it would be a grand idea.”

“Probably not...” 

Still, he followed his mate outside the cave and stood back as Damien quietly used his large feet to easily capture bugs off the forest floor.

“Damien?”

“Yes, love?” 

“I was just wondering... How did you take care of yourself when you were this helpless?”

Damien paused, stiffening slightly, “Well...” He quietly caught another insect, an over-grown centipede, and lifted it high enough to grasp with his clawed hands. Pip gagged slightly when he brought the struggling bug to his mouth and bit the head off before holding the squirming body over their sons face.

“I wasn't this small when I was born.” Damien explained, slowly feeding Koen the centipede, “Koen is several days premature. It takes about a week for a dragon to completely hatch, because in that time its slowly outgrowing the egg.”

“Oh... Then, why did he hatch within one day?”

Damien cringed and released the centipede as Koen finished chewing it, “I guess... You're going to find out eventually... Why we sent you away last night. I know you know we did it on purpose, it wasn't just Butters wanting to go to the river.” He paused to wipe away some fallen legs and guts from Koen's mouth, “The thing is, I really should have gotten rid of the egg from the start, or at the very least forced it from you when I realized it was interbreed.”

“But, why?” Pip muttered, “That shouldn't make a difference on how we feel about him.”

“It doesn't, but it does change him. Most dragons don't interbreed because the offspring almost always suffers from some kind of serious defect.”

“So, then... Is Koen...?”

“I don't know yet. I have no idea what kind of physical or mental ailments he might suffer from in the future, but, as for last night, well...” He turned away, heading back for the cave, “Come on. You're not going to like this, but you should know.”

Phillip whimpered, dread gripping at his chest, as he followed his mate back into the cave and took a seat on the rim of the nest.

### 

_  
“Hey, Kenny, come here.” Damien called to his friend, leading him into the cave. The duo squatted by the nest, “Does this look right to you?”_

_The Abeo dragon examined the egg closely, then made a face, “It's cracking in two places.”_

_“Right. That just seems... off to me. You're way more educated in this than I am, any ideas?”_

_“Well...” Kenny titled his head, “It could be one of three things. The dragon is too large for the egg already, it’s positioned incorrectly, or it’s twins. All of which aren't really too big of a deal, so it should hatch normally. But...”_

_“But...?”_

_“But, you've already told me it's interbreed. So, it's more likely secret option number four; something is going horribly wrong in there and the dragon will probably die before it hatches.”_

_“Fuck. I was afraid you'd say that... Is there anything we can do?”_

_“I can only think of one option. We have to take it out of the egg. The only downside is I don't know what kind of shape it's in already. The chances of it looking like a normal dragon are pretty slim. It'll be a miracle if it's not mutated or something else equally horrible.”_

_“Fuck....” Damien breathed. He glanced over his shoulder at the pretty blond sitting outside in the grass. “Okay... Go talk to Butters. Get him to get Phillip out of here. We're busting this thing open.”_

_“You know if I'm wrong that will probably kill it.”_

_“I know. But, you and I both know this thing only has a snowflake's chance in a fire-pit anyway.” He stood, his friend following suit. He nudged his head toward the blonds and Kenny was quick to walk out to them._

_“Hey, beautiful!” He heard his friend call to his mate._

_Damien stared silently at the ground._

_Phillip would be devastated if the child died, he knew that. But, he also knew the chances of it even living past the first month were virtually zero. If it died tonight, it would only spare everyone a very painful month of watching it die slowly._

_If it died, he could find Pip another egg. One that wasn't interbred. Hell, he'd even seek out a female Night Fang and produce his own if he fucking had to. He hoped he wouldn't have to. Though dragons bred with other dragons besides their mates on a regular basis, he was fairly certain this was actually frowned upon in human culture and he didn't really want to put Phillip through that. He also didn't really want to have to mate with someone he barely even knew._

_Footsteps brought him out of his thoughts._

_Kenny gave him an apologetic look._

_The two waited until their mates had gone off before squatting back down by the nest._

_“What are we going to do then?” Kenny asked, staring at the egg._

_“Break it open?” Damien offered, reaching out and taking the delicate object in his arms. He pushed a claw into one of the cracks and began chipping away at it._

_Several minutes later, the contents of the egg lay on the ground, eggshell all around it._

_Kenny looked away._

_Damien stared at it, surprised at how much it was hurting him to see it like that. It wasn't even his child, but... But, at some point, he realized, he'd began to love it like his own._

_So, seeing it, them, on the ground in a messed up heap, tore at his chest._

_One of them, a boy, looked healthy, but the other was a shriveled mess attached to him at the shoulder. Both were breathing._

_“What now?” Kenny asked, turning back._

_“We have to separate them. There's no way they'll survive like this.”_

_“That will probably kill them.”_

_“_ This _will kill them.”_

_“How are we going to separate them though?”_

_Damien stared at them, his children, and realized that there would be no saving both. The smaller one, a female he realized painfully, was too malformed to possibly survive._

_“We'll have to take off a large portion of her where they're connected. That might save him. Otherwise, he'd lose too much skin for it to heal and he'd bleed out.”_

_“Right, okay, so-”_

_He didn't get to finish his question, because Damien was already blowing fire onto his hand. Within seconds, his claws burned bright red._

_“I-I can't.” Kenny muttered, looking away._

_Damien said nothing. He held the two tiny bodies down with his left hand as his right came down and dug into skin. The two began shrieking immediately, the noise hurting the Night Fang's ears and chest, but he didn't stop._

_It was over in seconds. The two were split and their wounds burned closed. The boy looked fine aside from the burn on his shoulder blade, but the girl was missing a large portion of her arm. She would not survive the night._

_The two adults wordlessly wrapped the infants in blankets and sat against the nest, Damien holding them both close._

_He stared down at his two children, Koenraad and Kassidy, the names that he and Phillip had agreed on weeks before, and quietly tried to shush their cries._

_They continued wailing for several minutes, until finally they seemed to calm. They fell into silence like the adults and Damien listened to their soft breathing._

_His heart lurched and clenched when he heard the dual breaths become mono. In his arms, Koen seemed to be sleeping soundly, but Kassidy..._

_His baby girl was completely unmoving. No eye flutters, no dream-fueled twitches, no chest movements._

_The choked sob escaped before he could catch it, but he was quick to swallow any more. He knew Kenny would never blame him for crying, but he simply couldn't allow himself to. He had to be strong for Phillip. Had to finish this so his mate wouldn't have to witness it._

_“Do you want me to go?” He heard Kenny whisper._

_“No. Help me bury her and clean up. I don't want him to know about this. Not yet.”_

_“Of course. Just tell me what to do.” The tone was serious, solemn. It was odd for someone so carefree and happy-go-lucky as Kenny._

_The two stood. Damien gestured toward his son, “Will you hold Koen for me?”_

_“Of course.” The Abeo carefully took the child from his closest friend._

_“I know where I want to take her. Just follow.”_

_“Sure thing.”_

_Damien led him out to a clearing several feet within the forest. He got onto his knees in the middle and gently set his daughter down._

_“This is a nice spot.” Kenny commented, unconsciously rocking Koen._

_“This is where we met their father.” Damien explained._

_It just sort of felt right. For her to be here, where he fell. Sort of an ending where it had started._

_He used his front claws to dig into the earth. It didn't take him long to dig a deep hole where no other creatures could get at her._

_He wrapped her up tightly in the blanket and eased her in, taking his time. Once she was in her final resting place, he silently began covering the hole back up._

_He had to swallow several times to keep himself calm._

_Once he was finished they headed back to the cave to clean. It didn't take much longer to pick up all the egg shell pieces and wipe up the blood and other fluids from the cave floor. They tossed everything into the fire and watched it all burn up before kicking out the flames._

_Then the two took a seat on the edge of the nest again._

_“Do you want me to go get Phillip?” Kenny asked after a few minutes of silence._

_“Not yet.” Damien responded in a low voice, “I just need a few minutes.” He held Koen against him. It was incredible to see that tiny, fragile bundle cradled carefully in his arms. He was weary of his claws. “So...” He said, trying to bring himself out of his stupor, “You and Butters are uncles now. Hope you're ready for the task.”_

_“I was born ready.” Kenny grinned, “I'm pretty psyched to have an awesome little nephew. I can only hope that he continues to be my awesome little nephew for years to come...”_

_“Me too... I don't think I could handle going through this a second time...”_

_Within five minutes he sent Kenny off to the river with a heart-felt thanks._

_He wondered what he was going to tell Phillip. He could probably get away with saying nothing for a while, maybe a day or two, but he knew once his mate saw their son's shoulder blade he would start asking questions. Should he tell the truth or make something up? Would it be better to lie and keep him in the dark so he wouldn't get hurt or risk causing him pain because he deserved to know what happened?_

_He wasn't sure._

_He felt a presence and looked up. His mate was standing just inside the cave, a small smile gracing his beautiful features._

_Damien suddenly felt a lot better. He was still hurting and tired, but he'd been given new strength. Phillip was here now. He could do this. He could move past his daughter’s untimely death and be a good father to his son. They could do it together.  
_

### 

“I'm sorry, I couldn't-” Damien's voice wavered, “I should have just gotten rid of the egg in the first place... So you wouldn't have to go through this.”

“Damien, don't say that...” Phillip spoke softly. He gently took their son into his arms before taking a seat in his mates lap. Strong arms wrapped themselves around him immediately, holding him close. “Even though maybe it would have hurt less to get rid of it from the start, I would have always wondered about it, you know? What the child would have been like, if we would have been good parents... It hurts to lose her, but at least we know we did everything we could, right? There's no guilt or shame in that. And, even if Koen passes, we can take comfort in knowing that we did all we could for him. That we at the very least gave him a fighting chance. I think that's worth something.” Pip explained, resting his head on Damien's shoulder as he gently cradled his child.

“I suppose you're right.” Damien muttered, burying his face in Pip's shoulder, “I just hate the pain.”

The sudden dampness on his shoulder surprised the blond, but he didn't say anything about it. It wasn't that upsetting either, oddly enough, seeing Damien, someone whom he'd originally thought to be so emotionless, crack like this. Instead, it was comforting. A relief. Like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn't have to worry or wonder anymore over whether or not his mate truly cared about their child.

Damien _did_ care. Damien _could_ love.

Pip said not a word as he lovingly kissed his mate's neck in an attempt to comfort and allowed himself to be held.


	8. Fate

The first month was the hardest, while also being the most amazing. The two new parents were constantly worried whether their child would make it through the night, but each day was like a mini adventure.

Phillip was perhaps the most amazed. He hadn't realized that dragons grew so quickly. Koen was crawling within days and by the end of the week he was on his feet, keeping the adults on watch constantly. He was always smiling, and seemed hell-bent on exploring as much as possible. Damien kept his tail wrapped around his son's tiny waist almost constantly, seeing as that was the only full-proof way of keeping him within a close distance.

The wound on his tiny shoulder had healed quickly enough, but there was a permanent scar there that the two would likely have to explain to him once he was old enough.

They weren't looking forward to it.

It would take three weeks before he could speak coherently, and boy did he have a lot to talk about. Everything he picked up was simply amazing and he just had to show everyone and tell them all about it. He could bring someone the same rock three times and still have an incredible story to tell about it.

He was the perfect child, really. Well-mannered and kind, and surprisingly sturdy as well. He could fall flat on his face, hit his knee on a rock, or run head first into a tree, and he'd just shake it off and keep moving.

It always scared Phillip when he hurt himself, but he never missed a beat.

In a month he held the appearance of a one-year-old. He'd developed tiny wings on his back, pink like his father's, and little nubs formed on his head where his horns would grow in. His claws were small but sharp and his tail seemed too long for his body.

“He's growing so fast...” Phillip commented one morning as they watched him sleep.

“You have to mature quickly out here,” Damien explained, “The faster you grow, the better chance you have of survival. He'll be full grown within a year, I'd guess.”

“Only a year?”

Damien nodded, “But, until he attempts to start a family of his own, he'll likely stick around here for a while. Rosebud dragons are more likely to form groups than a lot of other species.”

His growth remained steady for the next few months; aging about a year or two every month. At six months old Damien began trying to teach him to fly with little success. It was worrisome.

“I'm not sure that he'll be able to fly, honestly.” Damien told his mate, “Spark dragons are excellent fliers, but Rosebud dragons stick to the ground most of their lives. Their wings are more for defense than flying. I have no idea how this is going to affect him.”

Thankfully, after weeks of almost constant practicing, Koen finally took to the air. After that, there was almost no getting him down. He flew in circles over the cave and the river and rarely walked anywhere, even short distances. He was a good flier, but his landings were never very graceful.

At eight months old Damien began teaching him to hunt as best he could. It didn't go so well. Night Fangs could simply grab a meal in the middle of flight, then let it drop to the ground to kill it, but Rosebud and Spark dragons weren't strong enough fliers to do that, so they stalked their prey. So, the task ended up falling to Kenny to teach Koen to stalk, which he seemed very pleased to be a part of.

Phillip was saddened at first that he would have such a small impact in his son’s life, until he realized that he could teach him human customs as well. He could educate his son on anything and everything he could remember from spending hours reading and learning in school.

It was a good balance, he realized. Koen had Damien to teach him to fight and hunt and to wrestle with and he had Phillip to teach him math and manners and to converse with on any topic.

It all worked out.

In little more than a year it felt a little odd to Phillip to call Koen his child, because Koen now towered over him and appeared older, in his early twenties, the same as Damien. His pink and black wings had grown to a monstrous twenty-feet across and his tail finally matched his body. He was incredibly tall too, standing a head taller than even Damien, and his horns spiraled backward to point behind him. His soft brown hair was always messy and his green eyes held a kindness that was often unseen in a dragon. He was oddly lanky, it seemed, his arms being an abnormally long length in comparison to the rest of him, but he was still very powerful in his own right. He'd become incredibly fast in the sky as well, and agile, but he was never able to get the landing down.

But, Rosebud dragons were ridiculously strong in defense, so every time he came crashing to the ground, he'd jump back up and brush it off like he hadn't hit solid dirt at 30 or more miles per hour, a grin in place every time.

Koenraad was a little naive, and pretty-much graceless, but he had a good heart and a sweet smile and the fact that he had even survived the first month of life was more than the two parents could have hoped for.

### 

Phillip was sitting outside, listening to the wild-life and the wind rustling through the trees as he cut up vegetables, when he heard the familiar sound of a certain someone making a rather graceless entrance.

“Wait, shit-” Koen grunted a fraction of a second before he became intimately acquainted with the ground. Again.

He stood and shook himself off, completely oblivious to the fact that a landing that had been nothing to him would have killed a human. He grinned and dropped to all-fours, keeping low to the ground as he stalked up behind the blond.

“Your big entrance makes it hard to be sneaky, you know.” Pip spoke, keeping his eyes on his task.

Koen chuckled and quickly closed the distance between them, laying down next to him, “Hi, dad.”

“Good morning, Koenraad.”

“Whatcha making?”

“Stew.” He smiled. Kenny had been kind enough to find him a pot and some seeds. He'd grown himself a small garden and was excited to finally be able to cook something. He was growing a little tired of berries and meat.

“Stew? What's that?”

“Well, there's a lot of different kinds, but the one I'm making is mostly vegetables. I think you'll like it.”

“Sounds great!” Koen smiled, getting back onto all-fours, “Where's dad?”

“I think he went to the river.”

“Okay. See you at lunch.” He trotted a few feet away before extending his wings and pushing himself away from the ground. He was in the air in seconds and a few flaps shot him high above the cave system. 

But, he did not go to the river. Instead, he shot off in the opposite direction, following the cliff several miles away to a separate, smaller cave system.

It took him only seconds to get there. After all, he could break one or even two hundred miles per hour with minor difficulty. 

He found a small entrance near the middle of the wall of dirt that was mostly covered by a branch hanging over it. He'd found the place on accident mostly, but he preferred to think it was luck, or, even better, destiny.

He slowed as best he could, which was difficult in all honesty. The only reason he was able to fly was because he could create a lot of momentum, making slowing and landing a little tough.

So, as usual, he went crashing through the greenery and into the small cave, rolling across the floor and coming to an upside-down stop when his back met the wall.

It barely hurt.

“Wow. As graceful as ever I see.” A rough voice commented, “You know, you're not exactly winning any contests like that.”

“Why would I enter a contest?” Koen asked as he rolled himself over and shook off.

“That wasn't even the _point_. Fuck, you're stupid.”

Koen didn't bother with a response. He stayed on all-fours, his dual joints allowing him to easily walk on his hands and feet at the same time, and slinked over to the nest. The cave wasn't very deep nor very tall, leaving him unable to stand, but it was decently wide so there was a good deal of space. 

It was dark on the inside, exactly like the occupant liked it. No direct sunlight could get in through the branch covering the entrance, but some reflected light from outside allowed the cave to be dimly lit. 

Koen stopped short of the nest, knowing full well he'd get screamed at for stepping in. Instead, he rested against the edge, grinning at the occupant, “How was your day?”

He received a sneer in return, “Are you joking? You've been here all damn day. You left for five fucking minutes to go check on your mommy and daddy then you immediately came swooping back in. My day has not changed that much in five fucking minutes. I haven't even fucking moved from this spot. Why would I? Do you see how fucking sunny it is outside? I want no part of that.”

“Oh... Right.” Koen barely faltered, “Do you want to come to lunch?”

Another one of those _looks_ , “Did I not just explain that I wasn't going outside? Furthermore, how well do you think it would go over with your parents for you to drag me down there for lunch?” He sat up, voice taking a mocking tone, “Hey mom, hey dad, this is my friend I brought over for lunch. He's just a harpy, your biggest enemy, no big deal let’s eat.” He fell back against the nest, “Yeah. It'll be spectacular I'm sure.”

“Right... I forgot...”

“You know, for someone who has a tendency to remember fucking _everything_ , you sure do 'forget' that little fact a lot.” 

“Well, it's just that I like you so I don't really notice that you're any different... and I guess I assume others won't either... You're not my enemy, you're my friend.”

“We aren't friends.”

“ _I_ think we're friends.”

“Yeah, well, your thought processes have never been great, so I'm not putting much weight on them.”

“Oh...” Koen sagged a little. His friend certainly had a way with cutting words. They'd been hanging out for over a week, but the harshness never decreased. He knew he shouldn't let himself be spoken down-to like that, but he just couldn't seem to stay away.

He looked up at his friend.

White. So much white. His skin was pale, his claws were a washed-out pink that was barely noticeable, his hair was a shimmery, silky white, and his feathered wings gleamed like pearls when light hit them. The one thing that really stood out was his amazingly violet right eye, which held a strange coldness that was evident in his voice too. His left eye was covered by his hair and he'd thrown a huge fit when Koen asked to see it.

“Hey, Rori?” He asked softly, getting the albino harpy’s attention.

“ _What_ , Koen?”

“Do you maybe want me to bring you something? Like, food? Since you can't go outside?”

Rorick shrugged, his slender yet slightly toned shoulders rolling with ease, “Whatever. I'm sure you couldn't hurt for the practice.”

“Okay. I'll be right back, then.” Koen replied, heading for the mouth of the cave.

“I eagerly await your return.” 

It was hard to tell when he was being sarcastic or not.

Koen slipped past the branch and pushed himself off the edge, wings unfolding on instinct. He flapped a few times, trying to keep himself steady as he headed for the ground a few dozen feet below.

Even at such a short distance, his landing was less than stellar. 

His wings seemed to stop working properly, causing him to just drop the last ten feet. He attempted to land on his feet, but ended up on his chest instead. As always, he got up and shook himself off. He remained on all-fours, as he usually did (he didn't mind being high up when he was in the air, but for whatever reason it sort of freaked him out how high off the ground he was when he stood upright), and headed through the trees, senses searching out a potential meal.

### 

Half an hour later, Koen proudly dragged a small deer back into the hole in the cliff, presenting it to Rori like a treasure.

“Well, aren't you just a wonderful provider?” Rori said with a sarcastic roll to his voice as he stepped out of the nest. He sat on his knees to begin consuming the meal.

“I don't think I'm so bad.”

“That's what I _just said_.” Rori snapped around a mouth full of bloody meat.

“Oh...” Koen replied dumbly, laying down and rolling onto his back.

They sat in silence as Rori finished his meal.

As usual, Koen ended up with clean-up duty. He dragged the corpse out and let it fall to the ground below, where a small pile of bones was building up. He'd need to clear that soon. He didn't want anyone snooping around and figuring out Rori was here. That would be dangerous.

“Walk me to the river.” Rori instructed and Koen was all too happy to oblige. 

Rori quickly took flight, gorgeous wings gleaming beautifully in the sunlight, and landed with grace on the ground below. He quickly ducked into some shade to avoid the sun's burning rays.

Koen elected to just jump and allow himself to fall to the ground. Attempting to fly would yield the same results anyway. The ground shook and a puff of dust surrounded him as he made contact, but he simply pushed himself up and shook it off.

Rori was giving him _the look_ again.

“What?” Koen asked as he walked over and extended a wing for his friend to walk under.

The albino seemed so small compared to him. Rori was around two feet shorter, though Koen towered over everyone anyway, and was on the thin side. His long claws on his hands and feet were obviously very sharp though, so Koen had no doubt the outsider could hold his own around here fine.

“You remind me of a boulder.” Rori commented, keeping close to him to stay out of the sun. “You're big, dumb, and invulnerable. The only difference is the boulder doesn't say stupid shit.”

Koen laughed loudly at the comment, “That's so true!”

Rori looked up at him, a slightly irritated look on his face, “Aren't you fazed by anything?”

Koen shrugged, “I guess I just don't upset easily. My dad raised me to be a happy person, and that's how I am. I enjoy life.”

It didn't take long to reach the river, which Koen was fairly certain was the same river that ran close to his cave, just further downstream. 

Rori waded up to his knees, pants dampening, and Koen stayed with him all the while, making sure the albino's sensitive skin wouldn't be directly exposed to the sunlight. The smaller male squatted and began washing himself, staining the river red from the remnants of his meal.

Koen listened to the forest and scanned the surrounding area, on alert for potential danger. After all, Rori was a harpy, an enemy to the dragon. Even though Koen could care less about that fact, any other dragon would likely attack to kill in a moment’s notice.

“Aren't you ever afraid you'll be attacked?” Koen asked.

“Terrified.” Rorick admitted, rubbing water on his face, “Why do you think I drag you around all the time? Anything that'll want to attack me will catch your scent more than mine.”

“Oh. That's pretty smart.”

“Duh.” Rori stood and shook himself off. “Come on, let's head back. This sunlight is killing me.”

### 

After seeing Rori to his cave, Koen spread his wings and took flight, headed back to his own home. He landed, of course, on his face, as usual, but quickly hopped up and shook it off.

“You need to work on that.” He heard his father lightly scold, “A dragon that lands on his face isn't a very intimidating one.”

“Well, maybe I don't _want_ to be intimidating.” Koen replied, trotting toward the older dragon.

Damien was standing outside the cave, bones in his arms. In the middle of cleaning, it seemed. “That kind of mentality is going to get you killed out here.”

“Nah.” Koenraad shrugged, “I'm invulnerable. Like a boulder.”

Damien looked at him, quirking an eyebrow, “A boulder?”

“Yeah.” He grinned and nodded vigorously.

“Uh-huh...” Damien gave him a worried look before getting back to carrying bones to a hole somewhere off in the forest.

Koen decided to pitch in and grabbed a few himself, standing at his full height with an arm load. He quickly followed his father, “Hey, dad?”

“Yes, boulder-boy?”

“Heheheh... Um, I was just thinking... You've never really told me about courting?”

Damien stopped and dropped his load into the hole, “What brought that on?”

“Nothing...” He imitated the Night Fang, releasing the bones, “I've just been hanging out with someone a lot and, I mean I'm not really thinking about courting him or anything right now, he might be mate material but I just don't really know yet you know? But, anyway, it just got me thinking that we haven't really talked about it.” Kind of a lie, but whatever.

“Oh.” Damien replied lamely, “Well... Alright. We can talk later I guess... Just remember, choosing a mate is pretty serious. You're with them for life, so don't take it lightly.”

“I won't, I promise. I don't think Rori likes me like that anyway so it's not a big deal.”

“Rori, huh?” Damien smirked slightly.

“Oh...” Koen mentally smacked himself for letting a name slip, “Well, it's Rorick, actually...”

“What kind of dragon is he?”

Oh shit.

“Um, you know I'm not sure...” Koen stuttered out, looking away, “He's, um, he's albino, so he looks like a Frost dragon, but I think he might actually be a Wind? It's kind of hard to tell...”

_Why_ had he said anything to begin with???

Damien eyed him suspiciously, but dropped it, “Alright... Come on; Pip is probably almost done with that stew-whatever he's cooking.”

“Awesome! I'm starving.” Koen grinned widely and dropped again to his hands and feet, smoothly trotting through the forest and back to the cave.

### 

“Enjoy lunch?” Rori drolled when Koen came tumbling in.

“Uh, yeah...” Koen grunted, rolling onto his hands and feet, “Dad made something called 'stew.' It was like water but had vegetables and stuff in it...”

“I know what stew is. It's delicious.”

“Oh, you've had it?”

“When I lived in the North, I went on more than one village raid. Human food is amazing. How does your dad know how to cook it anyway?”

“Oh, well, my dad is human, actually....”

“What?” Rori said disbelievingly, “How is that...? Your father is a Rosebud, right?”

“Well, no... Er, my real father was, but now I have one dad who’s a Night Fang and another who’s human. I'm adopted.”

“I... wasn't aware that dragons adopted.”

“They don't, usually, but, you know, humans do, so... Yeah. Here I am.”

“Well, aren't you just a special little snowflake?”

“You look more like the snowflake...”

“Hey!” Rori snapped, rolling over to glare at the dragon, “Shut your dumb face, boulder-boy.”

Koen laughed and laid down next to the nest, “My dragon dad called me that earlier when I told him I was invulnerable like a boulder.”

“Your dad sounds like a cool guy then.” Rori replied, rolling onto his back to stare at the ceiling.

“Yeah, he is... Hey, snowflake?”

“Yes, BB?”

Koen grinned, giddy over their little nicknames, “How do Harpies court?”

“What?”

“How does a Harpy attract a mate?”

“Oh... We don't really do that. It's mostly an every-man-for-himself, kind of thing. There's a lot of rape.”

“Oh… Is that why you left?”

“...Um, yeah... I don't have any natural camouflage, so I'm kind of an easy target, you know?”

“Oh... Uh... How long have you lived in the South?”

“I've been here about two years, I think?”

“Wow, how have you been surviving without me?”

“Psshh.” Rori rolled his eyes, “Please. I'm a natural-born survivor. This place is way easy to live in.”

“That's good... I worry about you sometimes, you know? Can you hold your own against a dragon?”

“I don't know, you tell me.” Rori smirked.

“All I remember about our first encounter is crashing in here _on accident_ and suddenly there were feathers and claws in my face, then I fell out and ran.”

Rori laughed loudly.

“It's not funny! I was scared for my life! I had no idea what was happening!”

“I guess I can hold my own then!” Rori called through his laughter.

“You're kind of an ass.” Koen grinned.

“You still come around though.” Rori replied, calming down.

“Because we're friends.”

“Harpies don't have friends.”

“Well, you do now.”

The albino looked at him, contemplating. “... I guess I don't really get a choice, do I? Alright. You win. Friends.”

“Best friends??” He asked excitedly.

“Sure, why not.”

### 

“I'll see you tomorrow, Rori.” Koen bid as he pushed himself up from the floor.

“I look forward to your bright, shinning face being the first fucking thing I see in the morning.” Rori remarked sarcastically, giving him a small wave.

“Bye.” The Rosebud dragon called as he trotted from the cave. He pushed himself off the edge of the entrance and opened his wings, catching air and flapping. He was quickly elevated above the forest and headed toward his own cave. In the distance the sun was sinking below the horizon. Hues of pinks and purples filled the sky.

He wished Rori could see it.

Not like he'd care anyway, though.

Koen worked his wings and pushed himself to go faster. He could smell the waterfall in the distance; almost see it too. 

Almost home.

Faster.

The waterfall was in sight.

Faster.

There was the clearing. So close.

Faster-

_Waitwaitwaitshit no not faster!_

He threw his wings open wide in an attempt to slow himself, but it was too late. He hit the ground and flipped and rolled for several more feet until he finally came to a halt on his back. He pushed himself up and stood, dusting himself off. He looked up and found that he'd gained the attention of the four sitting outside. Phillip and Leo were staring at him, slightly worried, Damien had his face covered with one hand, as though embarrassed, while Kenny laughed loudly.

“Uh, hey.” He called lamely, walking toward the group.

“You alright?” Pip asked, patting the ground next to him.

Koen grinned and plopped down beside his father, “Yeah, I'm good.”

“Don't you think you should work on that?” Damien asked, eyeing him irritably. 

The boy shrugged, “I'll learn eventually... Probably.”

His father sighed, looking away from him and starting up a conversation with his uncle Kenny.

It hurt a little. He honestly couldn't help his inability to land; it hurt to think his father would be disappointed in him for it.

He laid down, resting his head in his dad's lap and curling up slightly. He felt soft hands gently running through his hair.

“Are you alright, sweet heart?” Pip asked.

At least he knew his human father could never be disappointed in him.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” He lied. His mood was shot.

He wished he could fly back and hang out with Rori more. Rori didn't judge him. He picked at him, sure, but he didn't judge him.

“Maybe you should head to bed? You've been out all day.”

“Will you tuck me in?” He didn't care if 'that's not how dragons do it' or that it 'wasn't intimidating.' He could really use some positive attention.

“Of course, sweet heart.” Pip lightly ruffled his hair before gently lifting his head so he could stand.

Koen rolled onto all fours, following his beloved parent into the cave. He climbed into the nest, which he had been told used to be much smaller before Damien had had to make some adjustments for him, and laid down. Pip climbed in with him and pulled his head into his lap, those hands in his hair again, soothing.

“Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“What are Harpies like?”

The blond gave him a quizzical look, “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious...” It was a lie. He wanted to gauge how his parents felt about harpies before possibly introducing Rori to them.

“Well, I don't know. I've never met one.”

“But, what do you think they're like?”

Pip gave a small shrug, “Most everyone seems to agree that they're nasty, violent, and cruel creatures. But, most everyone also said the same of dragons, and you can see how accurate that was.”

“Has dad ever met one?”

“He's mentioned meeting a few. He doesn't seem to care much for them, from what I've gathered. Most dragons don't.”

“Why not? What if they're not really that bad?”

“Why are you pressing this so much?”

“Just curious.”

Pip eyed him suspiciously, but continued anyway, “I don't know why. Dragons and harpies have had a long standing feud that's gone on longer than anyone could care to remember. It just always has been. I don't know the reason behind it. You'd have to ask your father that.”

“I can't.” Koen muttered, curling into himself. 

“Why not?”

“Because he-... I just can't.”

“Koenraad,” Pip called gently, “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“I know... I'd like to go to sleep now though, if you don't mind.”

A sigh, “Alright. I'll listen when you're ready. Goodnight, sweet heart.” The blond leaned down and have his son a gentle kiss on the forehead.

“I love you, daddy.”

“I love you too, darling.”

Koen grinned and lifted his head to allow his father to stand. Once Pip had quietly exited the cave he rolled over and got comfortable, closing his eyes.

There was very little chance of him going to sleep anytime soon, however. His thoughts were clouded with worry and hypothetical situations in which Rori and Damien met.

They didn't end well.

Anxiety gnawed at his stomach, leaving an awful ache.

What would his dragon father say if he found out he was friends with a harpy? Would he be disappointed? Would he hate him? Would he disown him?

He became incredibly ill as he envisioned his father glaring at him, spitting out words of hatred.

_'I should have left your egg to rot.'_

He curled tightly into himself, letting out a pathetic whimper as the tears began to slide out.


	9. Gift

The morning light leaking into the cave awoke Phillip. He stretched and sat up, sighing in relief as a cool wind blew through, chilling his slightly sweaty skin. The nest was always a little too warm these days. But, that was understandable, seeing as he was sleeping between two very large heaters.

He laid back down and rested his head on Damien's chest, the Night Fang still sleeping soundly. Behind him, Koen was curled up tightly, snoring softly. He honestly had no idea how someone so bony and with such long legs could curl up as tightly as Koen always managed to, but, then again, Koen was always full of surprises.

A clawed hand slowly lifted and squeezed him close, a handsome face nuzzling his hair.

Pip smiled, whispering, “Good morning, love.”

“Mornin'.” Damien replied, voice gruff with sleep.

A sudden and violent jolt from the body to their left alerted the parents.

Koen curled up even tighter and shuddered, before stretching his limbs, legs extended far beyond the rim of the nest.

“Koen?” Phillip called softly, sitting up, “Are you okay?”

The boy jerked slightly when he heard his name, “Uh, yeah... I'm good.” He rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself onto all fours, looking over at the pair, “I didn't sleep in, did I?”

“No, if anything you're up early.” Damien informed him, sitting up with the others.

“Oh, okay, good.” Koen mumbled.

“Koen, are you okay?” Phillip asked, more forcefully this time, worried about his child.

“I'm fine. It was just a nightmare. I'm fine.” He shook his head, seemingly trying to rid himself of whatever remnants were left in his head, “I'm gonna go out now... Be back later.” He went to scurry from the nest and exit the cave, but a tight grip on his horn stopped him.

“Koenraad.” Phillip snapped, voice dangerously serious, “We are _going_ to talk about this.”

“It was _just a nightmare._ They happen. I'm fine.” Koen groaned, “May I _please_ go now?”

“Where are you going?”

“I want to hang out with Rori.”

Phillip released his horn and the two parents glanced at one another, then looked back at him.

“We'd really like to meet Rori.” Pip said.

“Uhhhh...” Koen paused, thinking quickly, “Well, he doesn't really leave his cave much, since the sunlight is such a problem, you know? But, I'll invite him over...” Lying was becoming a little too easy...

“When can we expect you back?”

“Lunch.” Jeez, when did his parents get so damn interested in his business?

“Alright...” Pip muttered, looking at him pleadingly, “Don't do anything dangerous, okay?”

“I won't.”

“Promise?”

“I _promise_.” He whined, getting antsy. He really wanted to get there before Rori woke up. He liked watching him sleep. He always looked so calm and relaxed; it was a nice change.

That wasn't creepy.

He wasn't creepy.

“Alright then... We'll see you later...”

“'Kay, bye!” Koen called, bolting from the cave.

“We love you!” Pip yelled.

“Love you!” He spread his wings and jumped away from the ground, pushing himself far into the sky.

### 

As predicted, Rori was sleeping soundly when he arrived. To avoid possibly waking him, Koen had taken his nose dive several feet from the cave and then walked to it and climbed up the wall.

He sat quietly beside the nest, gazing down at the albino in silence.

He liked Rori. He liked Rori a lot. More than he wanted to admit to himself. It wasn't good. They were a bad match. Dragons and harpies don't mix well. His dad would be pissed.

So pissed.

But, man, he really wanted to just... cuddle him. Or, something. Is that what mates do? Yeah, pretty sure. He wanted to crawl into the nest and lay with him. That sounded nice. That wasn't going to happen though. Apparently, you “don't invade a harpies nest, you fucking idiot” for whatever reason. He'd gotten a face full of claws the last time he'd tried. Then again, they were friends now, so maybe-

It wasn't smart to get hopes up. Only led to disappointment.

He tilted his head, watching Rori shift slightly. He was pretty. So pretty. With his snowy white hair and pale skin and feathery wings. Koen liked his personality too. It wasn't the best, admittedly, but he liked that Rori wasn't afraid of him. He wasn't sure why so many were afraid of him… It could have been his size, maybe it was his overbearing personality, his loud voice was a possibility, but he honestly wasn't sure.

He didn't have a lot of friends. But, he did have Rori.

“It's rude to stare.”

Koen jumped, heart clenching as a rough voice jerked him from his musings.

“Wuh, uh-”

“You are all sorts of creepy.” Rori said, stretching, “I've been awake since you got here, you know? I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I decided to pretend to be sleeping. I got bored though. Damn, you are fucking creepy.”

“Sorry, I... didn't wanna wake you...” Koen replied, looking at the ground.

“Well, you didn't have to stare.”

“Sorry...”

“Whatever. No harm, I guess.” He sat up and looked at his friend, “Why don't you get breakfast? I'm hungry.”

“Okay.” Koen grinned, mood elevating.

### 

After a messy breakfast, the duo went to the river to wash.

At the shore, Rori looked toward the sky, “It's pretty cloudy today... Wanna go for a swim?”

“Sure!” Koen agreed excitedly.

Rori removed his pants and stepped into the water, “Not too cold today.”

“Awesome.” Koen strode past his friend and into the water. It was a little chilly, but nothing he wasn't used to. He walked in to his waist, then dropped, immersing himself.

Rori followed, lowering himself to his shoulders and swimming out.

The river was wide here, and likely very deep too, but that didn't stop the albino from swimming to the middle. He paused once there, grinning, “Hey, BB, come here.”

“Why?” Koen asked, perfectly comfortable where he was seated.

“I can't feel the bottom. I wanna know if you can.”

“Oh, okay.” He leaned forward and pushed off the bottom with his feet, doggy-paddling his way out to his friend.

He stopped a foot away and attempted to stand.

“Um, I can't touch either, I guess.”

“You guess? You're not fucking sure whether or not you can feel the ground under your feet?” Rori asked sarcastically, giving him the look.

“I... I can't touch.”

“Oh wow you sure got over _that_ handicap pretty fucking fast.”

“I'm gonna see how deep it is.”

“You do that then.”

With a roll of his eyes, Koen took a deep breath and pushed himself under the surface.

The water was relatively clear, allowing him a slightly murky eyeful of... Rorick.

He looked away, blushing, and used his wings to push himself further, just like uncle Leo had taught him. He flipped himself over, now facing the riverbed, and was surprised to find it only a few feet away.

He had plenty of air left. Some exploration was in order.

Fish swam by as he slowly made his way down river along the floor, using his claws to drag himself. He looked under crevices and pushed over large rocks as he went, enjoying this mini adventure. He marveled at colorful fish and pretty rocks, ignoring the slight burn in his lungs as his air supply slowly dwindled.

A glimmer caught his eye and he stopped, lightly picking at some soil near where the light from the surface had caught something shiny. He dug his claws in and grasped something about as large as his palm, pulling it out with ease.

He moved away from the cloud of disturbed soil to get a better look at his loot. He tilted his head, moving his hand and the object around in the water to wash off some clinging dirt and rocks.

It was perfectly round, save for a large notch on top where a chain was attached, but somewhat flat, and gold, with pretty ornate patterns carved on the front. The chain was broken, having only about five links left in it.

He stared at it a moment, trying to remember what his human father had called this. He'd seen one before, when he was very young, when uncle Ken had brought it by to show him.

…. Pocket-watch!

He grinned and pushed himself away from the bottom, tail driving him upward.

He breached the surface and took a deep breath that he hadn't realized he'd so badly needed.

“Hey, check out-” He turned and was surprised to find Rori gone. His almost immediate panic was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” It was Rori, but he sounded really far-

Oh.

“Don't just fucking leave me like that you dick hole!” Rori yelled from several yards up the river.

“S-sorry! I'm coming!” He took a breath and dove back under, using his tail, wings, and feet to quickly swim back to his friend. He breached the surface a few feet away from him and gave a sheepish smile.

“What the fuck was that?” Rori snapped, glaring.

“Sorry... I didn't know I'd gone that far...”

“You're such a fucking-”

“I found something really cool though! Wanna see?”

Rori paused, glare hardening from being interrupted. “ _What_?” He snapped.

“Check it out.” He proudly presented the golden article, holding it by the chain to let the watch itself dangle, “Cool, huh? It's a pocket-watch. Humans use them to tell time.”

Rori stared at it, eye following it as it swung back and forth in the dragon's grip, seemingly transfixed.

“...Uh, Rori?”

The harpy shook his head briskly, snapping himself out of... whatever just happened. He wrinkled his nose, “'Tell time'? The fuck is that? Can't they just look at the goddamn sun? Who cares anyway?”

“Oh, well, they have a lot of important stuff to do, so they like to know exactly how long it will be until it's dark... It's hard to explain...”

“How do they tell time with a shiny rock anyway?”

“Oh, right.” Koen held it close, using his claws to carefully press down on the notch on top to pop the front open. He showed it to Rori, “See, these little hands point to numbers that tell people what time it is, so they know how much longer it will be til it's dark... The water made it stop working though...”

“That's... interesting, I guess. Can I see it?” He asked, holding out a clawed hand.

“Sure.” Koen handed over his newest treasure with care.

The albino examined it intently, turning it around in his hands, pulling at the chain, tapping at the glass, running his palms over the engravings to feel them, “This is actually kinda cool.”

“You like it?”

“Yeah. Good job finding it.”

“Thanks. ...Do you want it?”

“What?” Rorick looked at him, surprise evident.

“You seem like you really like it. You can have it.”

“N-no I can't. You found it. It's yours.”

“Well, I'm giving it to you.” Koen smiled, “It's a gift.”

“Gift?”

“Yeah. Friends give each other gifts. We're friends, remember?”

“O-okay...” Rori looked back down at the watch, eye wide and cheeks oddly pink, “Um, thanks.”

“Sure! Want to dive with me? Maybe we'll find something else cool.”

“Naah...” Rori shook his head, looking up at him, “Clouds or no, I still can't be out too long. I'll burn.”

“Ah, right... We should probably head back then.”

The two swam back to the shore and sat out for a while, allowing themselves time to dry before Rori put his pants back on and they headed back to the cave.

### 

“What're you doing?” Koen asked as he sprawled out on the floor, watching as Rorick forced a stick into the wall a foot above his nest.

The albino didn't reply. He shoved the long stick in several inches, leaving less than half exposed, before lifting the watch up and hanging it by the third chain. “There.”

“Uh...?”

“What? I don't want it to get dirty on the floor or break it in my sleep or something. It'll be safe up here and I can always see it.”

“That seems... oddly sentimental of you.”

“ _Fuck you it's not sentimental it’s logical_.” Rori hissed, falling back into his nest, “Am I not allowed to take good care of and enjoy a gift from a friend?”

“Well, no that's fine, I just didn't think you'd go and hang it up.”

“If you don't shut up, I'm going to throw it at your nasty face.”

Koen chuckled and grinned, “Okay, okay. Sorry.”

“That's _better_.” Rori smirked, crossing his arms.

Koen hummed and pushed himself up. He took a few steps closer to the nest and rested against the side, “You’re always so grumpy.”

“Maybe, but I’m the friendliest harpy you’ll ever meet.”

“True…” 

The conversation lulled into a comfortable silence. Koen stared at the wall, trying to come up with something to say to keep conversation flowing. Surprisingly, Rori spoke first.

“A human and a dragon, huh? Could they even have offspring together?”

“Er, I don’t know.” He looked at his friend, “I have two dad’s so they definitely couldn’t.”

“So, then… Dragons can have same-sex mates?”

The question took Koen by surprise. He tilted his head, “Uh, yes? Can’t everyone?”

“No.” Rori shook his head, “Humans forbid any same-sex relationships. Harpies can have sex with others of the same sex, but we usually only court the opposite sex.”

“Oh. Wait…” Koen finally sat up, “I thought you said Harpies don’t take mates?”

“I never said that, I just said we don’t really do it. It’s rare.”

“Oh. Well, how do harpies take mates?”

“Well…” Rori glanced at the watch on the wall, “My people give each other valuables to show affection. If you wanna court someone, you gotta get the most valuable gem you can find, make a necklace, and offer it to them. If they like it, they make you one, and you if like that one, then you’re mates. Harpies are really selfish so courting rarely occurs since no one wants to give away a valuable gem. Some harpies do though, if only to protect themselves from other harpies.”

“Oh. Did you ever have a mate?”

“No.”

“Did you ever… rape anyone?” He questioned, recalling Rori’s mention of it before.

“No.” He shook his head, “It’s mostly the older males who do that. I was more preoccupied with hiding.”

“Oh. Were you ever…?”

“I don’t want to talk about that.” A violet eye glared harshly at him.

“Right, sorry…”

“It’s fine.” Rori shifted, laying down on his stomach and resting his head in his arms on the rim of his nest, close to Koen. “Do you know anything about how dragons court?”

“Barely.” Koen grinned lopsidedly, glad to have his friend closer, “My parents each have a necklace though so I know a little. Dragons only use gems to make it look nice. What we really use is things that are valuable to us. Like, sentimentally so.”

“Sentimentally? I don’t really… get that.”

“You don’t know what sentimentality is?”

“No, I know what sentiment is by definition, I guess, but, my species isn’t really prone to it, so it’s hard for me to really _get it_. How is sentimental value valuable?”

“Oh… Well, let’s see… If I have something I really care about, then give it to you, then it becomes valuable to you because it was so valuable to me.”

“If it was valuable to you, then why would you give it to me?”

“Because I care about you.”

“Okay, but, that doesn’t make it magically valuable. I can’t fucking sell it if it’s worthless.”

“But you wouldn’t sell it anyway because it’s a gift.”

“But it’s a shitty gift.”

“But- ugh- that’s not the point.” Koen rubbed his forehead with his knuckles in frustration. He looked around and spotted a rock, picking it up. He showed it to Rori, “Okay, so let’s say my father gave this to me.”

“Why would he give you a rock?”

“I don’t know. Just go with it. So I have this rock, given to me by my father, and I keep it for many years. It means a lot to me cuz I’ve had it since before I can even remember-”

“How though? How have you not lost it? It looks like every other fuckin’-”

“ _So this rock means a lot to me_ for various reasons and I’d be devastated if I lost it. But, then you come along…” He met his friend’s gaze, blushing softly, “And I think you’re just the greatest thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”

Rorick grinned, “That’s the first thing you’ve said that’s made any sense.”

Koen chuckled, “Well, I really, _really_ like you, and I want to show you how much I like you, so…” He reached out and carefully took Rori’s hand. He flipped it and gently placed the rock in his palm, “I give you my rock, which you know means the world to me. I care deeply about this item, which has no value on its own, but I have made it valuable by becoming attached to it. You understand how much it means to me, and how much you must mean to me for me to give it to you, and that gives it worth to you. That’s what makes it valuable, the emotion behind it. Understand?”

Rori looked at the object thoughtfully, turning it over in his hand, and hummed, “I guess.” He suddenly tossed it out the opening, “Still just a dumb rock though.”

Koen sighed, rolling his eyes, “You’re so bull-headed.”

“You still come around though.” Rori grinned crookedly.

“Yeah… Guess I’m just a glutton for punishment.”

“Obviously.” Rori’s chin rested back in his arms, “I guess I’m… kind of glad though. It’s nice having someone to talk to.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely.” Koen nodded, resting his head back on the rim of the nest, “I only had my dads and uncles for a while there and that kind of sucks. I love them, but it’s nice having someone outside the family.”

“Yeah, maybe I could actually teach you something too.”

“Heey…” Koen pouted, “I’m just learning. And I know a lot. I’m really really good at math.”

“I don’t think math is gonna help your landing.”

“You never know. It might.”

Rori rolled his eyes with a grin, then focused on Koen. They made eye contact, silence filling the air. Rori’s gaze was piercing, forcing Koen’s eyes away after several seconds. 

“Koen?”

“Yeah?” He looked back up at him, forcing himself to meet that intense gaze.

“Do dragons have a sex drive?”

“Of course we do.”

“Do _you_ though?”

“Well, yeah.” He blushed, “Of course. Why?”

The albino shrugged, “I dunno. I guess it’s just strange to me to be around someone so much who hasn’t forced themselves on me yet.”

Koen gave him a slightly hurt look, “Well, I’d never do that to you, Rori. I really like you. Rape isn’t common around here. We’re taught better than that.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mhm.” He nodded, “Forcing yourself on someone around here could get you killed. Dragons don’t tolerate that sort of thing. You only mate with your life-partner or the dragon you’re going to breed with.”

“Wait, those can be two different people?”

“Yeah, that’s what Uncle Kenny says. Anyone can be your mate, but you should only reproduce with someone of the same species. Or, you’re supposed to, at least. Interbreeding causes problems.”

“Really?” Rori grinned mischievously, “That what happened to you?” He laughed.

Koen looked at him in surprise, then looked around somewhat nervously. Finally, his eyes landed on the ground in shame, “Yes.”

Stunned silence. “…What?”

“Yes.” He looked back up to his friend, “My mother was a Spark and my father was a Rosebud, so I’m interbred and, yeah, it’s caused some problems. I’m probably not as mentally sharp as I should be, I’m probably infertile, my joints aren’t quite right, and there’s a good chance I won’t live as long as most dragons do.”

“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or whatever…”

“Nah, it’s fine.” He shrugged lazily, “Obviously you couldn’t tell, so I’m not in that bad’a shape.”

“Yeah… Is that what”-he tapped on his shoulder, indicating Koen’s scar-“is about…?”

Koen nodded, “I had a conjoined twin; Kassidy. Dad cut us apart when we hatched. She didn’t make it.”

“Sorry to hear that…” Rori cringed.

Another shrug, “It’s okay. Things happen.”

“How can you be so relaxed about everything though?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, it sounds to me like your life has been pretty rough and it probably won’t get a lot better. How can you be so damn unfazed and just stupidly happy all the time when the whole world is against you?”

The question came as a shock to him. He’d never really thought of it like that. “I dunno, I just… Am. I’m happy to be alive. I shouldn't even _be here_ right now. My parents -my real parents- shouldn't have even bred at all. My adoptive father originally had no intention of keeping me, but my human father eventually convinced him otherwise. Everything went wrong when it came to hatching, but instead of killing me and my conjoined twin on the spot, dad separated us; gave us a fighting chance. She didn't make it, died within an hour, but I did. I lived. 

“My parents took care of me, raised me like their own. I should have died within a few months, but I didn't. I shouldn't have been able to fly, but dad decided to try and teach me anyway, and I flew. I should have had mental issues, but Pip set out to teach me about math and science and I learned it just fine. I should have been sick and frail, but I'm not; I'm surprisingly healthy. 

“And, now, it's been over a year since I shouldn't have existed anymore. So many times when my life should have stopped, but it didn't. I'm alive, and I'm thankful for that. Even on my worst days I just stop and realize how lucky I am that I can even experience such a shitty day. So, I'm always happy. I have no reason not to be. I'm alive, and that's a lot more than most people have already.”

Silence fell again. Rori looked at him thoughtfully for a long while before speaking. “I guess I’ve never thought about stuff like that.”

“Yeah. It’s easy to get caught on negatives, but I try to only focus on the good things.” Like getting to spend time with his best friend.

“That’s surprisingly intelligent for you.”

“Shut up.” Koen grinned, nudging his friend.

Rori chuckled and lightly shoved his shoulder, “I’m just playing. Shouldn’t you be getting to lunch soon?”

“Oh!” The dragon quickly sat up, “I totally forgot! Yeah, I gotta go.” He smiled at his friend, “It was really great talking to you… Maybe we could talk more about you when I get back?”

“Yeah, maybe.” Rori shrugged, a frown on his face. He didn’t seem keen on the idea.

“Okay, well, I’ll be back soon.” Koen gave him a lazy wave before trotting out of the cave and taking flight, heading home.


	10. Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe this is the longest chapter.

As expected, upon his return they, in fact, did _not_ talk about Rori’s life. Koen could have been disappointed, but he opted to just see it as something he’d have to earn the right to hear. He visited his friend every day for a month. In that time Phillip was notably persistent about wanting to meet Rori, but Damien was not.

“I don’t care what you do while you’re away.” He’d said to Koen when Phillip had brought it up. “You’re asserting your independence and learning to survive without us. That’s fine. But, you’d better come home once in a while. If you’re gone for more than a few days you better believe I’m tracking your ass down and dragging you home.”

The statement had been rather touching in all honesty. He hadn’t known his dad cared so much. 

Of course, the sentiment was shattered minutes later when Koen finally grew the courage to ask about harpies, earning a long rant that made him 100% positive that Damien could never ever meet Rori ever. 

_Ever._

He got out of there as another rant was starting, this one about his landing abilities. He didn’t feel like listening to it. What was so bad about it anyway? So maybe it was a little embarrassing, but it wasn’t _hurting_ anyone.

Ugh.

He came to a crashing halt outside Rori’s cave, then quickly climbed up the side and ducked into the hole in the wall.

“Mornin’, Sunshine.” Rori greeted with a crooked smirk.

“Morning.” Koen smiled as he slinked over to the nest, resting against it.

“Miss me?” The harpy was playing with the pocket watch again. He tended to do that almost constantly. He seemed to like the shine.

“Definitely. I see you’re pretty distracted again.”

“Can’t help it. I love this thing.” 

“Why? It’s not worth anything now that it doesn’t work.”

“It’s the first gift I’ve ever gotten.”

“Ah, so you do understand sentimentality.”

“Shut up.” Rori rolled his eyes, then shivered and hugged himself, “Ugh, why’d you have to let out all my warm air?”

Koen looked around, “What?”

“The warm air, you prick. It’s chilly outside, in case you didn’t notice. The tree covering the hole helped keep my body heat in here and the wind out there, but you went and moved it to get in and now it’s chilly in here.”

“Oh.” Koen looked at him guiltily, “Sorry. I didn’t notice.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that you’re nothing but fucking body heat. How the fuck do you do that?”

“Mnm.” He shrugged, “Dragons are just always warm. My dad is the same way. It makes summers kind of tough on my human dad, but it’s pretty great in the winter.”

“Really…?” Rori looked him over. Koen could tell the gears were turning in his mind. What was he thinking though? He sat up more and hanged the watch back up on the wall before scooting over. He patted the spot beside him, silently asking Koen to join.

The dragon perked up, “Really?” That seemed pretty huge to him. Dragon’s didn’t make a big deal about nest invasion, but it was obvious that harpies did.

“Come on, I’m cold.”

Koen happily crawled in and settled beside his friend. He smiled broadly when Rori nestled up to him.

“Ah, warm.” The albino sighed, relaxing against him.

“Glad I could bring you some comfort.” Koen draped his arms along the rim of the nest.

“You’re pretty good at it.”

“T-Thanks.” Koen blushed at the compliment. Rori had been a lot more open recently about saying nice things. He didn’t know if that meant something or not, but he sure hoped it did. The last week he’d been making regular trips into the back of the cave to look through the gems that had been collected there, searching for the perfect one to present to Rori.

Maybe it was moving fast, but he was so certain about how he felt. They were a good match, right? Sure, Rori was pretty rough around the edges, but Koen could take it. Plus, they were practically meant to be, seeing as neither of them had anyone else. No other dragon was going to be kind to a harpy and Koen seemed to have a tough time making and keeping other friends. 

He was a good guy though, despite the lack of friends, and Rori _needed_ someone who was going to be good to him. Someone who was going to treat him like a Prince, to make up for all the shit he probably had to deal with in the North. Koen could be that guy, he was certain of it.

“Anytime. What took you so long to get here today anyway?” A violet eye looked up at him curiously.

“I was talking to my parents.” Koen informed, trying his hardest not to just stare into that beautiful orb.

“How’d that go?”

“Well, I don’t think I’ll be introducing you to my father ever.”

Rori chuckled bitterly, “Figures.”

“Sorry.”

“Eh, I expected it. No big deal.”

“I took off once he started in about my landings. It’s not like I can help it. What’s the big deal anyway? So I crash? I’m fine. No one’s getting hurt.”

“You look stupid as Hell though.”

“Well, I don’t mind. I think I can survive mild embarrassment.”

Rorick chuckled, “If you say so.” He looked at the entrance, examining the leaves covering it, “It should be warmer in a couple hours, once the sun’s been up a while. Want me to help you with your landings?”

“Uh…” The proposition surprised him. He hadn’t expected Rori to go out of his way to help with anything. “Sure, if you want to…”

“Of course I do. We’re friends, so when you do stupid shit it reflects on me too. I don’t wanna look stupid, so I have to make sure you don’t either.”

“Oh, gee, thanks.” Koen rolled his eyes, a small smile on his lips.

“You’re welcome, BB, anytime.”

### 

Koen groaned and pushed himself off the ground for the twentieth time, it felt like. He stumbled to his feet and turned to look at Rori, “How was that?”

“Awful.” The albino rolled his eyes, “Again.”

Another long groan escaped the Rosebud as he opened his wings and forced himself in the air again.

How long had they been at this? An hour? Two? Three?? It didn’t seem like he was getting any better. 

“When you get close to the ground, stop flapping and just open your wings.” Rori called from his spot on the ground under some trees, “Your goal is to catch air and slow yourself down so you don’t hit the ground so hard.”

“Easier said than done.” Koen called back as he circled above.

“It’s not that hard. You can do it.”

He sighed and headed back down. As he got close to the ground, he threw his legs out in front and opened his wings wide. They slipped, however, and sent him falling to the ground. He landed on his feet and stumbled a bit, but didn’t fall.

Rori perked up, “Hey, that was better!”

“I didn’t land though, I fell.”

“So, maybe you need to fall to land. I mean, as long as you land on your feet, who cares, right? Do it again, this time make your goal to slow down and get close to the ground before falling. Land on your feet.”

“Ugh, okay.” He opened his wings and jumped off the ground, taking flight again. He circled a few times before making his descent again. This time, he attempted to fall on his feet. He succeeded, but tripped and rolled a few feet before finally coming to a halt.

He let out a loud, frustrated growl and scrambled to his feet, “This is pointless! I’ll never do it!” He stomped his foot and crossed his arms, pouting heavily.

Rori tilted his head, “I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you express something other than happy. You okay?”

“Yeah…” He sighed, “I’m fine.” He walked over to his friend, ducking under a branch to stand with him, “Can we quit for today? I’m starting to get sore.”

“Yeah, sure.” Rori stepped away from the tree, “It’s starting to hurt me just watching you.” He opened his wings and easily took flight, heading back up to his home. Koen followed up the wall rather than with his wings.

Rori took a seat on the rim of his nest. “How do you not have a crazy amount of broken bones?”

“Dunno.” Koen shrugged as he climbed in, “Luck?”

“Shut up, there’s no such thing.”

Koen grinned and chuckled, “I think I’m just really tough. Rosebud, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah.” The albino rolled his eyes, “Why do they even call it a Rosebud? Because it’s pink? That’s stupid. Rose buds aren’t tough so it doesn’t fit.”

“Actually, it is because of the whole defense thing.” Koen explained, “We have more joints in our wings than other dragons, so it makes flying tough but we can wrap them around ourselves in a protective shell that’s practically impenetrable. It’s impervious to ice and fire too, but not air tight. It kind of looks like a rose bud, so that’s where we got the name.”

“No way.”

“I’m serious.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“I’m totally not.”

“Show me then.”

“Er, okay.” It might be a little difficult in a tight space, but he was fairly sure he could do it. Normally, he’d have to jump, curl up, and wrap his wings tightly around himself, all in a matter of seconds. He’d have to settle with just sitting, curling up, and mostly getting his wings around himself here.

Darkness enveloped him as he wings wrapped tightly around him, surrounding him in a protective cocoon. It tended to get very warm very quickly inside here, but, like most Rosebuds, temperature changes didn’t do much to him.

“Holy shit.” He heard Rori’s muffled voice outside, “That’s ridiculous. It totally does look like a rose bud.”

“Told you.” Koen called from the inside before slowly opening up, “It’s pretty fun to curl up in and roll down hills.”

“Yeah? Can you fit two in there?”

“Er, maybe. It would be a tight fit.” Koen’s heart fluttered as he grinned, “You wanted in with me?”

“I just thought the rolling down hills thing sounded kinda cool.”

“It’s pretty fun, not gonna lie.” He completely uncurled and sat with Rori on the edge of the nest, “What do you wanna do now?”

“There’s not a lot _to_ do since I’m mostly stuck inside.” Rorick shrugged, “Sucks.”

“Well, we could always do something after dark. Like swim or go exploring or something.”

“Yeah, we could do that. I wouldn’t mind taking a dip again.”

“Awesome.” He wouldn’t admit it, but he was excited at the prospect of seeing Rori naked again. He had urges, after all, even if he was good at suppressing them.

### 

Koen returned early for lunch. He crash landed just outside the cave and shook himself off before trotting over to Pip, who was stoking a fire and giving him an amused grin. “You’re looking especially graceful today. You even landed on your feet.”

“Yup!” Koen smiled proudly and stood to his full height, “Rori was helping me practice.”

“Well, you’re doing very well.”

“Thank you.” He stood next to him and moved some sticks around in the fire with his feet.

“Speaking of…”

Damnit.

“Are you going to bring him over to meet us soon?”

“Um, he’s kind of shy.” Koen shrugged, looking away, “So I don’t know.”

“Koen.” Phillip used one finger to direct him to come closer. The dragon hesitated, whining softly, but leaned down to his father’s level, a little over half his height. “Is Rorick a harpy?”

Koen gasped and stood stiffly, “No! What? Why would you think that???” He looked around nervously, hoping Damien wasn’t nearby.

“Koenraad, be honest with me.” Pip gave him a warning look.

Koen whined again, his shoulders slumping. He leaned down once more, “Please don’t tell dad…”

Pip smiled softly, reaching up to ruffle his son’s hair, “Of course I won’t. He’d lose his mind.”

“You’re not mad though?”

“No, of course not. You’re just doing exactly what I did; sleeping with a supposed enemy. I’d be a hypocrite to get mad about that.”

Koen relaxed and smiled, “Thanks, dad. You’re the best.”

“Oh, I know.” The blond winked playfully. He pulled his child down and placed a kiss on his forehead, “Just be careful, okay? You know I’m going to worry.”

“I know, but you don’t have to. Rorick’s really really great. He’s kinda mean sometimes but it’s mostly sarcasm and it’s kind of funny. You should see him, dad, he’s so pretty.” He smiled dreamily. Rori made his heart flutter and his stomach do flips.

Pip gave him a slightly worried look, “You’re not thinking about making him your mate, are you?”

“Uh, well…” Green eyes fell to the ground, “I really like him…”

Pip looked him over with a conflicted expression before sighing softly, “I won’t tell you you can’t, because that isn’t fair. You like who you like, there’s no changing that. And I can’t tell you not to just because I know Damien likely won’t approve. I went against my father’s wishes and he abandoned me, but I ended up here and I ended up happy. I doubt Damien would ever abandon you, but he’d certainly be at odds with a harpy. So, just think it over before you decide, okay? Whatever you decide, I’ll support.”

“Thanks, dad.” The brunette smiled, “That means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome. I love you.” 

“I love you too.” He had to fall to his knees in order to comfortably pull his parent in for a tight hug. He nuzzled his shoulder, finding his scent comforting. He was so relieved to know that at least one parent was okay with his choices, that one parent would be there for him no matter what, that one parent would always support him and be proud of him. He loved his human father so very much.

They parted after several seconds and Koen climbed back to his feet.

“So, what makes you like him?” Pip asked, taking a relaxed stance as he looked up at Koen.

“I dunno. Everything.” Koen shrugged, “He’s really attractive. He has the prettiest eyes and his wings shine and his skin looks so smooth. But his personality is so different. He’s kinda loud and sarcastic and rough but I really like it cuz it feels like he’s not afraid to be himself around me. And even though he picks on me I know he’s just playing, it’s just how he is. He can be nice too and we have great conversations about all sorts of stuff. We take care of each other too. I bring him food and protect him from the sun and other dragons when we go out and he teaches me about all sorts of wilderness stuff. He’s really smart, dad. He knows all about bugs and berries and other animals and tracking. I love listening to him talk.”

Pip chuckled, smiling, “That’s wonderful. Sounds like you two have a lot of fun together. No wonder you’re hardly home.”

“Yeah.” Koen grinned lopsidedly, blushing, “I really really like him.”

“How’d you meet?”

“I, uh, kinda crashed into his cave on accident. I like to think it was fate.” It would sound stupid to anyone else, but he knew Pip would understand.

The blond chuckled, “Fate, huh? How cute.”

He chuckled as well, “Thanks.”

His father returned from the hunt several minutes later, dropping a large deer by the entrance. He tore one leg off to cook over the fire for Phillip, then he and Koen easily devoured the rest. Not an attractive sight, but one Pip had become accustomed to.

Once they all ate, Koen excused himself and headed to the back of the expansive cave. There was a large cavern in the back, filled with gemstones of varying colors. Apparently, they’d been here since before Damien moved in, but the Night Fang had no idea whose cave it had been previously or why they’d collected and stored so many gems. Not that anyone was complaining about it.

Koen had gotten a hold of some thick string and gold wire thanks to his favorite Uncle, along with two pink pearls thanks to his _other_ favorite Uncle. It was good to have support.

The necklace he’d crafted so far had the two pearls each wrapped carefully in gold wire, so that the wire formed a small round cage around them. Between the two pearls and in the middle of the necklace was where he planned to place a larger gem, though he hadn’t been able to decide which one yet. There were quite a few choices in the pile. He’d settled for an emerald because it was his favorite and was a similar color to his eyes and would go well with the pink pearls, but there were several cuts to choose from.

After nearly half an hour of just staring, he finally settled on one that seemed to have a bit of a bluish tint to it and was round in shape. He spiraled the wire around this one and connected it securely to the thick white string.

Done.

He smiled brightly and held the necklace up to examine it. Surely Rori couldn’t say no to this! It was beautiful! And, it not only had a large gem, but two pearls as well. He wondered if he should add more, but feared it might be overkill, so he refrained. He didn’t want to do too much and make it look ugly. Besides, he still needed to add a couple of things other than gemstones.

He carefully put it in a little satchel and trotted out, massive grin in place.

“What’re you so giddy about?” Damien asked when he emerged from the back.

“Oh, nothing.” He shrugged, “Just life.”

“Well, as long as you’re happy.”

“Thanks. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have a couple of my baby teeth, would you? Preferably the sharp ones?”

“Uuh…” Damien quirked an eyebrow, “No. Pip might though. There are a few of them on his necklace, I think, and I’m sure he’s got other shit in that trunk. Why?”

“No reason.” He gave his father a strange look as he wandered over to the trunk. He flipped it open and dug through. It was mostly things like clothes, which he wasn’t keen on, but eventually he found a satchel and, upon opening it, found around a dozen small teeth. He carefully dug through them until he found two similar sharp ones. Yes, these would do perfectly.

He pulled the necklace out along with more wire. It took some work, but he was able to fashion the teeth on either side of the middle gem. He smiled at his work, pleased that he’d been able to combine two cultures on one necklace.

“That for Rori?”

He jumped when he heard his father’s voice above him. Wide eyes looked up at Damien innocently, “Maybe.”

“Maybe? It’s either yes or no.”

“Um… Yes.”

Damien hummed and squatted beside him, “I thought you weren’t going to ask him.”

“Well…” Koen fiddled with the necklace, “I changed my mind. I really like him. I think we’d be good together.”

“Yeah? He good to you?”

“Yeah. I mean he can be really sarcastic and he likes to pick on me, but it’s in good humor. We have a lot of fun together. I feel like we really click.”

“That’s great.” Damien’s lip twitched a bit in a small smile, “You’ve thought a lot about this then?”

“Yeah, constantly. I really like him, dad. And I think he likes me too. I wanna be with him.”

“If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you. I won’t ask to meet him either, since it’s your life and your decision, but it would be nice if we could.” He reached over and placed his hands between Koen’s horns, ruffling his hair, “I’m proud of you either way.”

Koen smiled brightly, “Really??”

“Yes.” Damien nodded, then stood, “It’s nice to see you taking an initiative with this. I sort of worried that Pip would smother you into complacency.” He smirked, “You still need to work on that landing though.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Koenraad rolled his eyes with a grin as he stood, “Rori’s been helping me practice. I land on my feet now, but I still tend to roll. I’m getting better though, I think.”

“That’s great. He sounds like a good boy then.”

“He really is.” Koen smiled softly, “He’s wonderful.”

“I wish you the best of luck then.”

“Thanks, dad. Your approval means a lot to me.” Even though he was sure he wouldn’t approve if he really knew Rorick.

“I’m glad.” Damien hesitantly extended an arm, offering a hug.

Koen gasped then let out a small squeal of joy. He quickly wrapped his long arms around his father’s torso and squeezed him tightly. Damien almost never offered hugs anymore, so he was more than happy to take them when he could get them.

“Okay, okay.” Damien grunted, patting his back, “You’re hurting my ribs.”

“Sorry.” He released him, smiling sheepishly, “Thanks again. I love you, dad.”

“Yeah, I love you too.” His father looked around a bit awkwardly, “Are you coming back for dinner?”

“Yeah. I probably won’t give this to him until later tonight at the earliest. We’re gonna hang out a while after dark, since the sun won’t be out to burn him.”

Damien hummed, “Well, just be careful. A lot of unfriendly species come out at night.”

“I know, we’ll be fine.”

“I know you will.” He nodded toward the exit, “Now get outta here. Pip’s gonna be back any minute from the river and I want some alone time.” He smirked suggestively.

Koen blushed brightly, “I didn’t want to know that!!” He quickly bolted and took to the sky, his father’s laughter fading behind him.

### 

“Finally!” Rori snapped when Koen crawled back into the cavern, “What took you so fucking long?? I was starting to get upset!”

“Awww.” Koen grinned, leaning against the rim of the nest, “You missed me.”

“Like Hell I did. I was just wondering if you’d been killed or something.”

“Mm, sure.”

“Shut up.” He patted the space next to him, “Get over here. I’m cold.”

Koen was fairly certain it wasn’t cold, Pip had been wearing light clothing earlier after all, but he happily crawled in anyway. He settled in and was pleased when Rori leaned against him once more. He sighed happily at the contact and unconsciously wrapped his tail around the albino’s lithe waist.

The harpy jumped, “What the fuck!?” 

The exclamation made Koen jump as well and he quickly withdrew his tail, “Sorry! I wasn’t paying attention to it.”

“Ah, it’s fine.” Rori sighed, “Just fucking scared me.”

“Sorry.”

“I just fucking said it’s fine.”

“Sor- um.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. 

Rori gave him a hard look, but didn’t scold him again. “You can keep it there if you want.”

Koen’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, “You don’t mind?”

“Nah.” The harpy shook his head, “It’s warm. I like it.”

“Okay.” He grinned lopsidedly as he wrapped his tail back around Rori’s waist.

“Not so tight though. Kinda hurts.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

They fell into silence. Rorick nestled against him, eyes shut, relaxing. Koen noticed for the first time that his friend was, once again, clutching the watch. It reminded him of a child who couldn’t part with its favorite toy. Ever since he’d given it to Rori, the albino always found an excuse to take it off the wall and just hold it. Sometimes he’d trace the patterns with his claw, sometimes he’d open it up and examine it, and sometimes he’d just keep it clutched tightly in his claws, like now, and go on about his day like he wasn’t desperately clinging to the object. It seemed strange to Koen, but maybe that was just a thing that harpies did.

### 

Phillip moaned loudly, gripping the fur below him tighter. Strong hands held his hips in place while powerful thrusts wracked his body with pleasure. The deep growls above him were mostly drowned out by his own cries and the slapping of skin.

They’d gotten much better at this since the first time. Plenty of practice. Phillip was able to adjust quicker to Damien’s impressive size and Damien had memorized exactly where that spot was that made Pip see stars. The blond could take it faster, harder, while the dragon had become less worried about accidentally hurting his lover.

It made for wonderfully rough and passionate sex.

Orgasm was already trying to break free, but Pip held himself back. He preferred to hold on as long as he could, until the very last second, when Damien’s vibrations would force him screaming over the edge, like they were meant to. They’d asked Kenny about it months ago and learned that dragonoids can only reproduce if _both_ members achieve orgasm, meaning many males developed ways to make sure the female achieved hers. A Night Fang’s muscles around the abdomen spasmed, causing strong vibrations in the penis that practically forced orgasm in the other party. Every species of dragon was slightly different, but all had this unique adaptation.

Damien snarled and buried his nose in Pip’s hair as his thrusts became more brutal. The blond was practically screaming into the fur beneath him, begging for release. Damien’s eyes fluttered shut and he clenched his teeth as he granted his lover’s wish. He moaned deeply as orgasm washed over him, causing muscle spasms in his groin.

Phillip screamed and tore at the fur as orgasm slammed him, rocketing through his entire body. He sobbed and shook as the vibrations continued pulsing through him, forcing almost painful pleasure throughout his worn body. The thrusts ceased when the knot filled him and forced all movements to a halt.

After several moments of panting and trembling, Damien was finally able to pull out. He collapsed next to the human and pulled his smaller body firmly against him. The seed that soon began leaking from his lover stained the blanket below, but neither cared.

“Oh, wow.” Pip groaned, resting his head on Damien’s chest, “That was amazing.”

“Always is.” Damien smirked, nuzzling Pip’s hair, “Just like you.”

“You’re too sweet.”

Damien hummed, rubbing his lover’s back gently. “So, Koen made his friend a necklace.”

“Really?” Pip looked up at him in confusion. He hadn’t thought Koen would go through with it, at least not so soon.

“Mhm. It looks nice. He put his baby teeth on it.”

“Oh, that’s sweet.” He smiled some.

“Mm. Has you told _you_ anything about Rori?”

“Um, some. He sounds sweet.” This topic made him a little nervous, actually. He didn’t want to slip up and reveal too much.

“I’ve been trying to figure out what sort of dragon he might be, but I can’t place the smell.”

Pip stiffened, “What?”

“I can smell him all over Koen, especially today. I got close enough to get a good whiff today, but I can’t place the smell. It’s familiar though.”

Ooohhh no. “Oh. Well, it’s probably not that important anyway. As long as Koen likes him, who cares, right?” He knew Damien would be livid if he placed that scent.

Damien’s eyes narrowed, “What? You’re the one who wanted to meet him.”

“Well, if he’s shy then we shouldn’t force him over, right?”

Damien paused several seconds, “… You know something, don’t you?”

“What? No!” Pip sat up some, “I was just talking to Koen earlier and Rori seems like someone who’s not too keen on being around a lot of others so I don’t think we should pressure him into it. Seems mean.”

His lover looked at him suspiciously, but relented, “Fine. If you say so.” 

Pip sighed in relief and laid back down, thankful that Damien had dropped the subject.

### 

“Hurry up you ignorant shit.” Rorick called as he headed down the bank to the river. 

Koen stumbled along behind him, catching up quickly, “Sorry. I thought I heard something.”

“Yeah, that was me not getting any younger.” The albino halted at the river’s edge and stripped before carefully stepping in.

“Heh, good one.” Koen smiled and followed him in.

The sun had set nearly an hour previous and the full moon had taken its place in the sky, illuminating the forest and reflecting off the water. Koen had never been away from home this late before. It was kind of exciting, actually, especially with Rori here.

Rori.

The harpy looked beautiful in the moonlight, the soft glow reflecting off his white wings. It made him look almost divine, like an angel. Koen could feel himself falling for the boy all over again. 

“Damn, it’s kind of cold.” Rori complained after several minutes of swimming and small talk, “I don’t know why I thought it wouldn’t be.”

“I can warm you up.” Koen smiled innocently.

Rori gave him an odd look, not replying for several seconds. “Did you just…? No, of course not. You’re an idiot.” He rolled his eyes, “No thanks. I don’t need your big dumb ass accidentally drowning me.”

“I would never!” Koenraad gasped in horror. 

“Not on purpose, dipshit.” Rori light-heartedly splashed him, “You have a habit of being a little too touchy-feely though.”

Koen turned away slightly as water sprayed him, “Really? Does it bother you?” He’d never noticed that he’d been too clingy.

“Nah, not really.” Rori shrugged before leaning back and gently kicking his feet, propelling himself around slowly, “I just like giving you a hard time.” He rolled over to swim back to him, “Come on. We should explore downstream a ways. I’ve never been very far from my cave but with you here I think we’ll be alright.”

“Okay!”

### 

Hours later they finally came back to the bank where they’d left Rori’s pants and quickly got out. Rori was shaking from the cold, teeth chattering, but Koen hardly noticed the low temperature. He sat down in the grass to dry and expected Rori to take a seat beside him, but was pleasantly surprised when the albino stepped between his legs and plopped down there. 

Rori pressed himself close to the warm body, still shaking, “F-f-fuck, how c-can you not be f-f-freezing?”

Koen shrugged, “Dunno, I’m just not.” He wrapped his arms loosely around the harpies lithe waist and held him gently, hoping to help warm him faster. His wings unfolded slightly, half wrapping them in a protective shell.

“That’s r-ridiculous. You d-d-don’t have an ounce of f-f-fat on you f-f-for insulation. I h-hate you.”

“I’m sorry.”

Rorick let out a soft growl and relaxed slightly, “God, you’re so warm…”

Koen smiled, pleased he could bring his friend comfort, “Glad I could help. Seems like I’m usually just on your nerves.”

“Nah.” He half-shrugged, “You’re not always on my nerves. I just like picking on you.”

“Ah, well. You do a great job of it.”

“Thanks.” Rori looked up at him with a bit of a grin.

The way the moonlight reflected off his hair and eye made Koen gasp softly. He was suddenly highly aware that not only was the man he was falling desperately in love with resting against him, but he was very naked and very wet. He was sure he must have been blushing.

“You okay?” Rori asked after a few moments, the grin curling into a smirk, “Your heart is pounding.”

“Uuhh…” He faltered, “It… It does that sometimes.”

“Mm, sure.” Rori’s smirk softened and he sighed quietly. There was a pause before he spoke again, voice lacking its usual sharpness, “I like you, Koen. You make me feel safe.”

“I like you too.”

“Good.” The albino nodded, “Because I made you something.”

“You did?” Koen tilted his head in confusion.

“No, I’m lying.” A violet eye rolled in annoyance, “Drag my pants over here, you shit head.”

Koen did as instructed and used his tail to snatch his pants from where they were lying on some rocks. He dropped them in the grass beside them.

“Good boy.” Rori leaned over and grabbed them, bringing them into his lap. He stuck his hand in a pocket, then gave Koen a hard look, “If you laugh at me, I will cut you.”

“I would never laugh at you.” He reassured, filled with excitement. What could it be??

Rori gave him one last small glare before pulling something from his pocket. It took Koen a second to identify it as, shockingly, a necklace.

He started laughing.

“Hey!” Rorick snapped, “I fucking told you not to fucking laugh you fucking piece of shit!!” His teeth gritted in anger.

“I’m not laughing _at_ you!” Koen snickered, “I just- Here.” He grabbed the satchel that he’d made Rori put in a pocket earlier and opened it. He produced his own necklace and held up for Rori to see, “I had the same idea.”

“Oh.” Rori said dumbly, blushing slightly, “Well. I guess that answers that then.”

“Yeah, I guess it does.” Koen softened, his tail finding its way to Rori’s waist once more.

Rori smiled and took Koen by surprise when he wrapped his arms around his neck. They were gone within seconds, leaving behind a slight weight on his chest. He looked down and found a necklace resting there. He lifted a hand to gently lift it and examine. 

Black string. Two snow white feathers hung from it near the middle. Nestled between them was a ruby about the size of his finger tip wrapped loosely in silver wire and hanging from the necklace by a golden chain link.

“I love it!” Koen chuckled, running his finger gently over a soft feather.

“Yeah, you better. Plucking those feathers hurt.” Rori teased gently, “I didn’t have anything of sentimental value except the pocket watch, so I just used a link from it and some feathers, since I know you like them so much.”

“Where’d you get the ruby?”

“I have a small stash of gems under my nest.”

“Oh, neat.”

Rori hummed, then grinned excitedly, “So, are you gonna gimme mine??”

“Oh, right!” He smiled and lifted the necklace, gently tying it around his new mate’s neck.

“Wow…” Rori smiled brightly, examining the item, “This is amazing…”

“I’m so glad you like it.” Koen sighed in relief, “It’s two pink pearls that my Uncle Leo found for me, an emerald I found, and two of my baby teeth.”

Rori chuckle, “Neat. Wait-” His eyes narrowed on the center gem, “This is red, you stupid shit. Emeralds are green.”

“What? No, it’s green. I’m sure of it.” He leaned closer, examining it.

“No, this is _red_. Like a _ruby_.” He held it up for his mate to see better.

“Oh… You’re right…” He furrowed his brows in confusion, “I’m so sure it was green this morning…”

Rori hummed thoughtfully. He held the gem out away from him and in some light from the bright moon overhead. As soon as it hit the light the gem turned a deep green.

Koen perked up, “I was right! Oh, but…” His shoulders slumped some, “Why is it changing color?”

“Because it’s not a ruby or an emerald.” Rorick explained, bringing the gem back to his chest almost lovingly, “It’s Alexandrite.”

“Oh. Is that good?” He hoped he hadn’t fucked up and given his mate a worthless gem.

“Short of ripping your own beating heart out and presenting it to me, this is pretty much the most amazing thing you could have given me.”

“Oh.” Koen replied dumbly, then smiled, “Yaaaay.”

The response made Rorick laugh, “You’re such a dork…” He reached up and slid his clawed fingers through Koen’s hair to his horns, gently gripping them, “Maybe that’s why I like you though. Who knows.” He tugged gently, prompting the dragon to lean down and press their foreheads together.

“Good to know my charms have swayed you.” He joked, “The dork thing is just an act. I’m actually very suave.”

“Oh, I’m so sure.”

Koen chuckled and wrapped his arms around the albino in a firm embrace. “Do harpies mate for life?”

“No. Do dragons?”

“Yes.” His heart dropped some, “Does that mean you’ll leave me?”

“Mm, not this century.” He grinned crookedly, “I think you’re stuck with me for quite a while.” He moved his head, lightly brushing their lips together.

Koen gasped softly and froze up, unsure of what to do. Was the action permission to kiss, or-?

His question was answered when Rorick gently pressed their lips together in a tentative kiss. It took Koenraad a moment to react, but once he could think again he was quick to return the action. It felt amazing, incredible, the best thing he’d ever experienced. He was a little surprised that it was so soft, gentle, seeing as Rorick tended to be rather rough, violent, vicious. He half expected teeth to be involved, but they weren’t. Just soft, smooth, wonderful lips pressed deeply against his own. He loved it, never wanted it to end.

This was paradise.

### 

The nest was a little more cramped than the one at home, especially once they were both laying in it, but Koen didn’t want to be anywhere else. Laying on his back staring at the ceiling with Rorick pressed close to him and half resting on his chest was pretty much the most comfortable position he’d ever been in.

Unfortunately, it had to end soon.

“I need to get home.” He said softly.

“Why?” Rori purred, nuzzling his chest, “Can’t you just stay here?”

“Would that be okay?” The idea had crossed his mind, but he’d assumed the harpy would want his privacy.

“Of course. We’re mates now, we stick together.” Soft lips kissed his neck, “This is your home now too.”

Koen’s heart fluttered with excitement as his lips formed a bright smile, “I’d love to stay with you.”

“Good. Because you’re very warm.” The albino hummed, nuzzling closer, “Winter’s coming. I hate winter. It’s so cold.”

“Well, I’ll be here to keep you warm this time.” He chuckled, kissing snow white hair.

“Damn right.” He looked up at him after a moment and stared silently for several seconds, “Hey.”

“Hm?”

“It’s not going to bother you if we… don’t... have sex. Right?”

“No, of course not.” He said softly, “You know I’m not really interested in that sort of thing.”

“Okay, good…” Rori traced patterns in Koen’s flesh, “Because, you know…”

“It’s okay, I understand.” It made total sense. Though he hadn’t admitted to it, it was obvious that Rorick had dealt with more than his fair share of unwanted sexual contact. There was no way he’d ever make him go through that sort of thing again. He didn’t care if they never had sex, so long as they were together it was perfectly fine.

“I mean, maybe we will, I just don’t really know yet, you know? Like, how I’ll feel later after-”

“Rori.” He gently squeezed him, “It’s fine. Don’t even worry about it. If we do, great, if we don’t, great. I don’t care either way. I just wanna be with you.” He hugged him tightly, burying his face in his hair.

The albino let out a sigh of relief, “Thanks. This is exactly why I like you. You’re so good to me.”

“I’ll always be good to you.”

“I know.” He purred, pressing his head further into Koen’s neck.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Rori was out in a matter of minutes, leaving Koen to listen to his steady breathing, which eventually lulled him into sleep as well.


	11. Blood

Koen awoke to the sound of birds. He never heard them so close by his own cave, so the noise was a little startling so early in the morning. He opened his eyes and first noticed the golden pocket watch hanging from the wall. The little bit of sunlight streaming in through the cracks in the branch reflected off the shiny surface, helping to bring more light to the dark cave.

He turned his head and buried his nose in snow white hair, breathing deeply. Rori’s scent made him feel light and fuzzy and incredibly happy. He kissed his forehead and squeezed his shoulders, hugging him tightly.

A soft groan escaped the harpy, followed by purring as he nuzzled Koen’s neck.

“Morning.” Koen whispered, smiling softly. He could still hardly believe this was actually happening. He was sharing a nest with his best, and only, friend, who was now his mate. Life was crazy.

“Mm, morning.” Rorick yawned. He stretched his limbs and opened his wings, giving a few flaps. He made a quiet noise that resembled a squeal that Koen couldn’t help but find utterly adorable.

“You’re so cute…” He chuckled.

“Shut up!” Rori snapped, smacking his stomach, “I’m not cute.”

The blow to his stomach didn’t even phase Koen, “Pretty cute.”

“Shut up!! I’ll cut you!”

“ _Cute_.” Koen whispered with a huge grin. 

Rather than cutting him, Rorick punched him hard in the stomach, earning a soft grunt and a laugh. “Shut your fucking mouth!”

“Okay, okay.” Koen chuckled, wrapping the albino in a tight hug and burying his face in his hair.

“Ugh.” The harpy grunted, pushing against the dragon, “You’re way too affectionate.”

“Can’t help it.” His voice was lightly muffled, “I just love you so much.”

Rori sighed heavily and went limp, allowing himself to be held, “You’re such a dork.”

### 

After sharing a meal with Rori for the first time, Koen decided he should head back to his parent’s cave to let them know about the good news and reassure them that he wasn’t dead. He kissed Rorick goodbye and took flight, heading to his other home.

That seemed so odd to think… Having two homes where he was welcome and loved. Well, he assumed Rori loved him anyway. The harpy hadn’t exactly said it, but it was implied.

Or, maybe it was just wishful thinking.

He pushed that thought aside and took a dive toward the ground. He attempted to land on his feet, but again failed and went tumbling. Once he finally came to a stop he pushed himself onto all-fours and shook the dirt off, then stood to his full height.

“ _There_ you are!” He heard Pip’s voice, “I was getting worried!”

Koen smiled and walked toward his dad, who was standing just outside the cave, “Sorry. I slept at Rori’s last night.”

“I sort of figured, but I still worry you know…” Blue eyes fell to the taller dragon’s chest and soft lips curved into a huge smile, “Oh! Look at that!”

“You like it?” Koen grinned lopsidedly, “Rori made it, obviously.”

“It’s beautiful. I’m so happy for you!” The blond’s smile turned a bit sad, “You grew up far too quickly though.”

“Sorry…” He dropped to his knees so they were closer to the same level, “He doesn’t live very far though, so I’ll come see you every single day.”

“You better.” Pip reached up and ruffled his son’s hair, “I was told you wouldn’t go running off with someone for a good few years, so I better at least get that.”

“You will, I promise.” The brunette chuckled, “I’ll come see you all the time.”

“Good.” Pip cupped his face and gently pulled him down so he could kiss his forehead, “I’m very proud of you.”

Soft rumbling in the earth alerted them to Damien’s presence. He stepped out of the cave, usual neutral expression on his face, and looked his son over. He spotted the necklace and quirked an eyebrow, “Feathers?”

“Uh, yeah…” Shit, he’d totally forgotten about that. “They’re from… A goose. It was our first meal together.”

“A _goose_?”

“Yeah… Well, a couple of geese.” Koen stood, shrugging timidly.

Damien’s gaze hardened, turning into somewhat of a glare. There was a fire in his eyes that Koen recognized as silent fury.

He knew. He knew about Rori.

Koen cowered, expecting a blow or some very harsh words, but Pip stood and stepped between them. He put his hands up defensively and smiled softly at his mate, “Don’t you think it’s nice that Koen found a mate?”

Damien’s harsh glare lowered, focusing on Pip, “You knew about this then?”

“Knew about what?” The blond asked, playing stupid despite knowing what was going on.

“Don’t fucking lie to me!” Damien snarled, flinching his fists and raising his wings, “I can’t believe either of you would deceive me like this!”

Koen cringed while Phillip attempted to calm the enraged dragon. “Damien, please-”

“No! We’re _done_ talking!” He snapped, stepping back, “I’m sure it’ll just be more lies anyway.” He looked again to Koen, glaring harshly, “I am so _disappointed_ in you.” With that, he took flight, leaving the two with only the sting of his harsh words.

Koen whimpered softly, wilting. Phillip was quick to pull him into a hug, “It’s alright, he didn’t mean that.”

“You _know_ he did.”

“He’ll get over it.”

“No he won’t.”

The blond sighed and stepped back to look at his child, “Koenraad, sometimes Damien just gets angry and says things he doesn’t mean. I know, I’ve lived with him two years. He’ll get over it.” Though he was playing the strong one, Koen could tell that his father wanted to break down just as much as he did.

So, he relented, sighing, “Okay. If you say so.”

“I know so.” He smiled some, though it was obviously forced, “Why don’t you head back to Rori’s? I bet he misses you already.”

“Yeah, sure.” He shrugged a bit. He knew Pip likely wanted him away so he could shed a few tears, and likely so that his child wouldn’t be there when Damien returned just as angry as before.

They bid one another a final farewell before Koen took flight, heading home again.

### 

Rori’s scent was both intoxicating and incredibly comforting. Koen could still hardly believe that the harpy so willingly allowed him to curl up with his head in his lap. Clawed fingers ran through his brown hair comfortingly, making the dragonoid sigh softly in pleasure. He nuzzled Rori’s leg, almost purring.

Above him, the albino continued petting him, speaking softly, “You’re so weird…”

“How?” Koen pouted slightly. He didn’t need to hear this right now.

“I dunno, you’re just… different. Not in a bad way or anything. In a really good way.”

“Thanks…” Koen grinned, “I needed that.”

“I know.”

Koen felt those claws leave his hair and instead lightly trace his horns.

“These’re weird too. Don’t they ever get caught on things and give you a headache?”

“Nah.” He half-shrugged, “My dads yank me around by them all the time. It’s not much different than grabbing my arm.”

“Weird…” 

Koen hummed, but said no more, allowing them to fall into silence. He was still pretty torn up about his father, but he supposed he’d get over it. Eventually.

He heard Rorick sigh loudly above him. “Alright, no more moping.” The albino announced loudly, “Why don’t we take a walk or something? You need some cheering up.”

“Really??” Koen looked up at him excitedly, “Really we can go outside???” He loved getting to go outside with Rori. It was his most favorite thing in the whole wide world!

“Yes, really.” The harpy rolled his pretty purple eye, “You don’t need to act like I deny you the right or something.”

Koen happily climbed off his mate and trotted to the mouth of the cavern. Rori followed him after snatching and pocketing his watch.

They flew to the ground below and headed to the river. The harpy kept close to his dragon mate for both protection from the sunlight and protection from the cold. Koen put out a lot of warmth, which Rori was more than pleased to bask in.

Half way to their destination Koen suddenly halted, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He looked around cautiously, listening.

“What?” Rori asked, giving him a funny look.

“Ssh…” Koen hushed him softly before sniffing the air, “You sense that…?”

Rori listened, then shook his head, “Dude, I can’t hear anything.”

“No, there’s something…” Light rumbling. It was still distant though, so he gently gripped Rori’s arm and stepped back, “We should go home…”

“What?” Rori snapped, yanking his arm free, “Come on, Koen. Don’t be a little-” 

The noise was suddenly loud, overbearing, like something massive charging at them. Koen cried out when he was struck, the mass sending him backward. He collided with something solid, a tree, and a loud snap echoed through the forest before the mass left him. He grunted when he hit the ground and lay on his stomach in brief confusion. There was no pain, however, so he was certain that snap hadn’t been a bone. When he pushed himself up he noted the tree behind him was now broken and leaning against the others.

An awful, terrible, pain-filled, blood-curdling shriek drew his attention. His head snapped in the opposite direction, sudden panic filling him as he searched for his mate.

Another dragonoid, large and muscled, had his clawed hands on the harpy, ripping into his flesh and tearing at his wings. Rorick fought back, using his claws to tear at the dragon’s skin, but it seemed to have little effect on the thick hide.

“Hey!!” Koen screamed, pushing himself to his feet, “Leave ‘em alone!!”

The dragon dropped the albino and turned to him with a rage-filled glare.

Koen cowered just slightly under the harsh gaze. A Blast dragonoid, he realized, had apparently caught the harpy’s scent. Not good… 

The dragonoid snarled, his massive size allowing him to loom over both other creatures. He took a deep breath, a move that Koen knew all too well. The Rosebud quickly threw his wings out in front, shielding himself from a sudden explosion of fire. The heat burned, but he knew he could withstand the flames. 

When they died down, his wings flew open, revealing to him the charred forest around them. 

“Get lost!” He snapped, standing to his full height. To his relief, he was taller than the other.

“ _You_ get lost!” The other dragon snapped right back, “The harpy is _mine_ to kill!!”

“No!!” Koen took a step forward, growling dangerously, “That’s my mate!! Fuck off!”

The dragon seemed surprised by the news, but it only made him angrier, “Then you die too!”

Koen mentally cursed and glanced at Rori, who was a shaking, bloody heap on the ground. He was awake though and looked at Koen fearfully. He’d never seen his mate scared before and it made him just as terrified.

Another deep breath, prompting Koen to quickly cover himself as another wave of fire washed over him. He could stand the heat and the burning, but he hated not being able to breathe. It was gone in seconds and he once again quickly whipped his wings open and pushed off the ground with his feet.

He slammed into the other dragon with his entire weight, sending them both to the ground. He bit and clawed at the other male, only ceasing when a clawed hand grabbed him by the back of the neck and tore him off. He rolled a few times before scrambling to his feet, snarling, then letting out a loud roar he hadn’t realized he’d possessed. 

The red beast stood and scoffed before letting out his own mighty roar, loud enough to make the ground tremble.

Shit.

“Just back off!” Koen attempted, “I don’t wanna fight you!”

“Too bad!” The other boomed, taking a step forward, “You die here!” His tail whipped around him at an alarming speed. The large club on the end struck Koen hard in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the ground again. He groaned as pain split his side, making it difficult to stand. He could hear the massive beast stomping closer, intending to finish the job.

“Hey, ugly!” Came the albino’s voice, “Leave him alone!” 

The beast turned, his heated gaze on Rori, who had finally pushed himself to his feet but clearly wasn’t doing well. There was so much blood and his right wing was at a very bad angle. The dragonoid smirked and turned, taking a large step closer that made the albino flinch and back up. He stumbled and fell on his rump, hissing in pain.

Koen finally forced himself to his feet despite the throbbing pain of a few broken ribs, “Hey, why don’t you pick on someone your own size??” His stance was a little shaky, but determined.

The other dragon did not even turn around, however, and instead continued his advance on the battered harpy. He took a deep breath, forcing Koen to act. He lunged at him again, throwing his entire body against his back, knocking them both to the ground again. This time, however, an awful shriek arose from the other, as though he were in a massive amount of pain. It took Koen a few seconds to register why.

Electricity surged through him, but it didn’t hurt him like it did the other. It felt as though it were part of him, like he could control and manipulate it. He could see sparks and waves of lightening running over his skin, popping and cracking.

Right. Part Spark dragon. He’d forgotten.

As soon as it had come, it was gone, leaving him merely laying atop a very pissed-off Blast dragon. 

Another deep breath.

There wasn’t much time to think. He couldn’t put his hand over the other’s mouth, it would just burn it to a crisp _and_ incinerate Rorick. Punching his back would just expel it and trying to choke him wouldn’t work from this angle.

Acting on instinct rather than rational thought, Koen grabbed one of the dragon’s thick, rough horns and yanked it sideways. The result was a jerk of his head, a loud ‘pop!’ and then stillness as the body below him went completely limp.

Silence.

Koen let go of the horn and stared down at the unmoving beast in shock and horror. 

Dead.

He’d _killed_ him.

Koen wanted to be horrified at his actions, wanted to be angry at himself for taking a life, wanted to mourn the loss of another living creature, but… he couldn’t. He hated that he’d had to take a life, yes, but he didn’t regret it. He couldn’t. It was either the Blast dragon or Rorick, and he’d always choose Rorick.

“Koen?” The albino’s weak voice drew his attention. He scrambled off the dead body and went quickly to his mate, who was on the ground and leaning heavily against a tree trunk. He didn’t look good at all. Koen knelt beside him, reaching out to tenderly touch the side of his face, “It’s alright, we’re okay now.”

“Well, I don’t know about _okay_ , but sure.” Rori attempted a grin, but it was strained.

“We’ll be okay. I’ll get you home, okay? We’ll get you taken care of.” His eyes ran over the damage. It all seemed fixable, though only if they hurried.

“How?” Rori croaked, voice weak, “We don’t have anything at home to wrap this.”

“My dad does, I’ll just-”

“You can’t fly me there, Koen.” The albino persisted, “You can’t land, you’ll kill me on impact.”

A cold fear swept over the dragon. He shook his head disbelievingly, “No, I can just carry you, we’ll walk.”

“I’ll never make that trip.”

“No, no… nononono.” Koen shook his head, “Don’t give up. Come on, we’ll be fine.” He made a move to pick the albino up, but Rorick protested.

“No, don’t bother.” His voice was weak, breathing raspy, “I just want to sleep…”

“Don’t _say_ that!!!” He shook him, earning a pain-filled yelp, but he didn’t care, “You can’t _leave_ me!!!”

A snapping behind him caught his attention. He turned in an instant and stood at his full height, wings spread, a hate-filled glare on his face. He wasn’t in the mood to screw around anymore. 

His father gave him an unamused look, clearly not intimidated. He pointed to Rorick, “ _That’s_ your mate?” 

Shut up!” Koen snapped uncharacteristically at his father, earning him a slightly surprised look, “Just leave us alone!” 

Damien paused before huffing some, “This is exactly why I keep telling you to work on your landings.” 

I don’t wanna fucking hear it right now!!” Koen yelled, “Leave us alone!” 

His father frowned, “No. He’ll die without help and we’re wasting time.” He nodded toward the direction of their cave, “Get home. I’ll be right behind you.” 

Koen wilted some, calming. That meant his father was going to save Rorick, right? He was hesitant to trust him, but what choice did he have? Rorick would die without help no matter what. 

Damien walked past him and scooped the frightened harpy up. Rori cried out in pain and sank his claws into Damien’s flesh, causing the other to snarl. “ _Watch it._ You claw at me again and I’ll _drop_ you.” 

“ _Fuck_ you!” Rori hissed, “This fucking _hurts_!” 

Damien rolled his eyes as he unfolded his own wings and took flight. Koen followed, launching himself into the sky behind his father. 

Damien kept a firm grip on the smaller harpy as they flew, trying not to let him move around too much, lest he fucked something else up. As much as he hated the thing in his arms, he wasn’t willing to just let it die. He’d made it in time to see most of the fight and he’d certainly seen enough to know that Rorick had made an attempt to come to his mate’s rescue. Most harpies would have fled, saving their own hide, but Rorick had not only stayed but also distracted the other dragon in order to save his mate at the risk of his own life. It was enough to earn him a chance, at least. Damien would tolerate him for a while. 

Though, judging by his labored breaths, he wasn’t sure he’d even get that much. If this kid lived, he’d be shocked. 

He landed gracefully outside his cave and hardly batted an eye when Koen crashed to the ground close by not a second later. He carried Rorick into the protective shade of his home and gently laid him against the nest. 

Phillip sat up as soon as they’d landed and quickly stepped out of the nest, panicked, “Oh my God! What happened??” He knelt by the harpy whom he assumed to be Koen’s mate. The poor boy was hardly moving and taking quick, shallow breaths. 

“Blast dragon.” Damien informed, “He’s lost a lot of blood.” 

“Yeah, I can tell.” Pip stood and quickly went to his chest. He pulled out all the bandages he owned and some extra clothes, just in case. He carried it over to Rorick, passing an anxious Koen on the way, and fell to his knees beside him. 

“This is going to hurt, hun.” He attempted to sooth, but Rorick’s eyes were closed and it was unlikely he’d heard him. He instructed Damien to lift the boy into a sitting position so he could begin wrapping him up. He kept his attention focused on the task at hand, but he could see out of the corner of his eyes Koen making circles around them. 

The bandages turned red very quickly, but there wasn’t much he could do about that. He continued wrapping until a good few layers covered the boy’s torso tightly, stopping the flow. There was a cut on his temple that Pip also bandaged, causing the fringe to be moved aside. He sat back with a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, smearing blood. He didn’t care though. All four of them were bloody. 

Koen stopped his circling and came closer, looking fearfully at his mate. “Can I hold him? Please…” His voice wavered, which led to a certain amount of embarrassment in front of his father. 

Damien handed the limp body to his son then stood, stepping back. He’d noted during the anxious pacing that Koen was favoring a side, leading him to believe the other had likely sustained a bad injury during the tussle. He wasn’t bleeding though, thanks to his thick hide, so Damien couldn’t say for sure where the damage was or how bad it was. He had a feeling that if he asked, Koen would shrug it off, being too worried over his mate to worry for himself. 

Koen wrapped his arms gently around Rorick and held him against his chest. He felt him lean more against him and sigh softly, making him smile. That was a good sign. Rori was still aware of his surroundings, even if he wasn’t quite awake. 

“Looks like his wing is broken too.” Pip noted as he too stood, “We’ll need to snap it back into place and put a splint on it.” 

Koen merely nodded before burying his face in Rori’s snow-white hair and taking a deep breath. His side hurt when he did so, but it was worth it for his mate’s scent to wash comfort over him. He squeezed his eyes shut, just wanting to tune out reality for a few precious seconds. He heard his parents walking, but he wasn’t too concerned with where. The only thing he focused on was Rori’s shallow breathing and willing him to continue to take each desperate breath. If the breathing ever stopped, he was certain his heart would too. He couldn’t possibly take it. 

“Koen?” Phillip’s voice cut through his mind, prompting him to lift his head and look at the blond. Pip smiled softly at him, “We’re going to have to put his wing back in place. He won’t care for that, so hold him carefully, okay? We don’t need him tearing wounds back open.” 

Koen nodded weakly and barely tightened his grip on the smaller body against him, not wishing to hurt him. 

Phillip stood up straight and gave Damien a nod. The dragonoid didn’t hesitate before grabbing Rorick’s damaged wing and easily squeezing the bone back into place. 

The harpy snapped awake with a screech and jerked, trying to get away. Koen held him tightly, however, trying to keep him steady. “Rori, calm down! We need to do this!” 

“It hurts!” The albino snarled, but stilled. He shook violently and curled up against his mate more. “It hurts…” The shaking of his shoulders suggested he was silently sobbing. 

I know, I know.” Koen hugged him, nuzzling his hair, “You’re gonna be okay though, I swear. You’re gonna be okay…” 

Phillip put two pieces of wood on either side of the broken bone and wrapped it with thick cloth. It wasn’t the best splint, but it would do so long as Rorick didn’t move his wing too much. 

Damien released the wing and stepped back, examining the scene. There was blood everywhere, which was going to be annoying to clean. The four of them were also covered in the harpy’s blood, but he supposed a dip in the river would work fine. 

Still though… All this blood, that of a harpy, was sure to attract unwanted attention. 

“Let him rest.” Damien instructed his son, putting a hand on his head, “Take him to the nest.” 

Koen nodded and gently picked his mate up and carried him into the nest. He very gently laid him down, minding his wing, before laying down next to him and curling up with him. 

Rori let out a soft whine and clenched his fists repeatedly, voice weak as he uttered, “Watch…” 

The word almost made Koen laugh. He smiled some and reached down to dig through Rori’s pockets, searching. He found the desired item and placed it in Rori’s hand. The harpy gripped it tightly and whimpered, but relaxed more. 

“What’s that?” Phillip’s voice gained Koen’s attention. He was sitting on the rim of the nest nearby and reached out to stroke his hair. 

“It’s a pocket watch. I found it and gave it to him.” Koen explained, “It means a lot to him. He doesn’t leave the cave without it and he’s always holding it in his nest… _Our_ nest.” He grinned a bit and hugged Rori just a little closer, earning a small sigh. The albino seemed to be asleep again, but was still gripping the pocket watch tightly. 

Pip smiled softly, “That’s sweet…” He leaned down and kissed his son’s temple before standing, “You father and I are going to the river to clean up, okay? We won’t be long.” 

“Okay.” He nodded slightly and shut his eyes. He wished he could fall asleep, but he didn’t want to leave Rorick unattended. Even though he was bandaged up and the bleeding had stopped, he could still die any second. 

He relaxed more when he heard his parents leave the cave. Though he was thankful to them, Damien still kept him on edge. He couldn’t fathom why he would suddenly change his tune and help Rorick, a harpy, but he supposed he shouldn’t complain. Rori would already be dead if it hadn’t been for him. 

### 

Blood stained the river as they washed. Damien frowned heavily at it, watching pink swirl downstream. He was glad that Leo and Kenny had already headed to the ocean for the winter; Leo wouldn’t like blood filling his tide pool. 

“So, what happened?” Phillip’s sweet voice cut through his thoughts. 

He turned to his mate with a heavy frown, “A Blast dragon caught the harpy’s scent, obviously. I’m more shocked that it didn’t happen sooner.” 

“Well, I’m glad it didn’t. Otherwise he might have died.” The blond smiled some as he washed, “It was kind of you to save him. I thought you hated him?” 

“I do. But, I don’t want my son to have to lose a mate. Just thinking about losing _you_ … I could hardly stand it. I won’t put him through that, no matter how much I _hate_ his choice.” Damien scoffed, standing up out of the water. 

Phillip followed suit, shivering some thanks to the cool air, “Regardless of your reasons, I thank you for helping. Did you… kill the Blast dragon?” 

“No.” Damien shook his head, “Koen did.” 

Phillip paused, stunned, “What?” He’d never thought his son had it in him to kill another dragon. 

“Koen killed the dragon. He snapped his neck.” He noted the worried expression on Pip’s face and continued, “I’m not certain he meant to, he looked pretty shocked when he realized he was dead. It seemed he was just reacting to protect his mate.” He was proud of his son either way though. It was good to know he could kill if he truly needed to. Damien often worried that if anything happened to him Koen couldn’t protect Phillip. The act helped put some of those anxieties to rest. 

“I’m sure he must be upset about it though.” Phillip spoke, shivering, “He’s hardly got a mean bone in his body.” 

Damien stepped closer to his mate, pulling him against him with his tail. This way, Pip could warm up, “Doesn’t really matter. He did what he had to. There’s no taking it back. Besides, he needs to be able to kill if he’s going to survive, and especially so if he’s going to keep a _harpy_ for a mate.” 

“I know…” The blond leaned heavily against his mate, basking in the warmth. “I just wish he didn’t have to. I know how much he hates to hurt others.” 

“Like I just said, he’ll have to get over it.” 


	12. Life

Three days passed before Rorick opened his eyes again. Koen refused to leave his side during that time, causing him to feel rather hungry, but Phillip often brought him snacks. Damien hadn’t been fond of the harpy sleeping in his nest, but he didn’t move him.

Rorick let out a soft grunt as his eyes fluttered, opening after a few seconds. His single pink eye landed on Koen. The other was a cloudy blue that seemed to be without a pupil. It didn’t take half a brain to figure out the harpy was blind in that one. 

“Hey, you…” Koen smiled, cupping Rori’s face, “How are you feeling?” His throat was thick with emotion, but he tried to keep his composure. 

Rori smirked weakly, “I’d be doin’ a lot better if I didn’t have to wake up to _your_ ugly mug.”

The remark made Koen chuckle, “Sorry. You don’t have much choice from now on though.”

“Yeah, I know. I guess I’ll get used to it…” The smirk fell and he groaned, “I feel like shit, actually.” He squeezed the watch and curled closer, “You’re so warm…”

Koen hugged him, bringing him close, and draped a wing over them for shelter against the cool evening air, “I’m so glad you’re awake.”

“How long was I out?”

“Three days.”

The albino groaned again and shuddered. He nuzzled his mate’s neck and sighed, “Where are we?”

“My parents’ cave. Dad let us stay in their nest.” 

“Really?” He scrunched his nose, “I would have expected him to just drop me from the air.”

Koen sort of had too, in all honesty. It had been a huge relief when he didn’t though. “Yeah, me too… He’s been helping take care of you though.” By helping he meant that Damien had come over once in a while to ask if he was still breathing. Still, it was nice to know he cared.

“Good to know.” Rorick muttered. 

“I still don’t think he likes you much, but he seems willing to leave us be.”

“Wonderful.” Rori shifted to move closer to the warmth, only to let out a sharp cry of pain and stiffen. “M-my wing…”

“It’s broken, Rori.” Koen informed, “We’ve got a splint on it, but it’ll take a while to heal.”

The albino groaned, “That means I’m stuck on the ground for a while, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Goddamnit…”

“Sorry…”

Rori huffed, “Don’t apologize for something that’s not your fault.”

“Sorry…” He repeated, earning a soft smack on his shoulder and a hard look from Rori. “Sor- Nevermind…” He stopped himself before he said it again.

“You’re such a handful.” The albino remarked and closed his eyes, “That’s not a bad thing though.”

Koen smiled softly and nuzzled snowy white hair, “Thanks. Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

“Okay, I’ll go get-”

“No.” Rori gripped his arm, preventing him from moving, “Just lay with me for a while.”

“Alright.” Koen agreed without hesitation. He closed his eyes and curled up as much as he could, holding Rorick in a warm, protective embrace. With his mate awake he felt immensely relieved and his anxieties seemed to vanish. The future no longer felt terrifying, but instead there was a certain sense of security in knowing that Rorick would still be with him for quite some time.

### 

Damien sat silently on the edge of his nest, watching the duo outside. Phillip was sitting on a blanket in the grass and was carefully cutting up vegetables into a pot to make stew while Koen watched with interest. The two chatted about some winter holiday the humans celebrated that Damien didn’t really understand, but Koen seemed far too interested in. Pip was bundled up to protect him from the chilly air, but Koen was unfazed by the temperature. 

Sitting inside the cave was Rorick, who was seated on the ground just inside the entrance to keep in the shade. He was wrapped in a few blankets for warmth and was also watching the other men chat, but he wouldn’t be joining very soon. The sunlight hurt his skin and his wing was still wrapped up, though it was doing much better. Three months had seen it heal very well but it would still be a few months before he could fly.

While Damien didn't really care for the fact that Rori was a harpy, overall he did find the boy tolerable. Rori was very polite to Pip and good to Koenraad. Sure, he picked on him a lot, but he seemed to genuinly care. He and Damien didn't really communicate much, but most of their interactions had been relatively civil, if not a bit forced. Damien wasn't overly fond of the albino, but he was tolerant of him. 

Besides, he made Koen happy. 

Damien had to wonder how life had turned out like this. Only two years ago he’d sat in this cave by himself, completely alone. Kenny would visit sometimes, and Damien would take the time once in a while to go to the river to see Leo too, but for the most part he lived in solitude.

Now? He had a mate, a son, and a third family member in the form of his son’s mate. Privacy was unheard of, solitude non-existent, and silence rare. Despite the massive change in his lifestyle, however, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

### Bonus:

Spring had come again, bringing warmth and flowers and rain. It was a cloudy day, meaning a certain albino could more easily venture outside the cave. The bandages wrapping his wings were gone, finally, and he took the opportunity to stretch his wings and flap them. 

“How do they feel?” Koen questioned. He stood next to his mate, watching him curiously.

“Sore.” Rori complained, “But, it feels so nice to be able to stretch it again. I thought I was gonna lose my mind having to keep it cramped up like that!”

Koen chuckled softly, “I’m glad you’re better.”

Damien watched them from the cave with a neutral expression. With spring here and Rori able to fly again (after some stretching and gentle practise anyway) he wondered if his son would be leaving or if the two would choose to stay. Over the winter they’d built a second next by the first so that there would be more room and even though Damien still didn’t love having Rori around he would hate to see that nest empty.

“You ready to go to the river?” Phillip asked as he stood and stretched.

“Ready if you are.” Damien replied and stood as well. With winter gone Kenny and Leopold would be returning any day and bringing some new clothing with them along with other supplies. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be too hostile toward the newest member of the herd.

The two left the cave together and Damien signalled for the other two to follow. Koen came trotting over, all smiles as usual, while Rori merely obeyed without a word. He continued stretching and gently flapping his wings as they walked.

“Feel good to be out of that cramped cave?” Pip asked him with a gentle smile.

“Very. No offense or anything.” Rori replied.

“Oh, none taken. I understand. How does your wing feel?”

“Good. Thanks again for fixing it…” The albino smiled shyly.

“You’re very welcome. I’m glad you’ve recovered.”

“Thanks.” There was a long scar across his middle, but at least it hadn’t ended his life. Besides, in his mind it helped him fit in around here considering both Koen and Damien had scars.

Upon arriving at the river, Koen didn’t hesitate to dive right in, creating a large splash of water. He came back up laughing, “It’s chilly! Join me, Rori!”

“Eugh.” The harpy grimaced. After slight hesitation, he removed his pants and waded into the water. It was ended chilly, but he continued anyway. Once he was up to his ribs he was suddenly grabbed by his mate and dragging further out. “Koen! No!”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you!” The boy laughed as he swam backward with the harpy in his arms.

Rori struggled some, but Koen’s warmth made him unwilling to completely rip himself free. Instead, he let his mate paddle around the water with him. It gave him a chance to exercise his wings in the water without having to concentrate on swimming at the same time.

Damien sat down on the shore line and Pip sat beside him. They put their feet in the water and watched the other two play. Pip sighed softly and rested his chin in his palm.

“You okay?” Damien asked softly.

“Yeah. I just- I dunno.” He shrugged, “He grew up so fast. I wanna do it all over again, you know? Relive it. I want to be able to cradle my baby again.” He sniffled softly.

“Don’t do that.” Damien nudged him gently, “You’ll get _me_ crying.”

“Awww.” Pip smiled at him, “You big softie.”

“Don’t tell anyone.” Damien winked playfully. He looked over at his son, “You’ll still have a lot of years with him, so don’t worry. He’s not going to stop being our baby just because he’s bigger than us.” 

“Mm, true.” Pip turned back to his son with a gentle smile, “I’m just glad he’s happy.”

“Me too.”

A figure flew over head, reflecting in the water. Koen stopped swimming and looked up along with everyone else. He held Rori close, his tail wrapping tightly around his mate’s waist and one wing circling around to partially hide him.

Kenny circled the area once before coming in for a landing. He easily touched down on the grassy shore and put down a large basket he’d been flying with. “Hey there!” He smiled at the group, “Long time no see!”

“Good to see you, Kenny!” Pip greeted as he and Damien stood, “How have you been?”

“Great! Boy, have I got a surprise for you guys…” His voice suggested that he wasn’t sure how much they’d love their surprise.

As Koen was swimming with Rori back to shore, Leo surfaced nearby. “Koenraad! How are you??”

“Uh, good, uncle Leo.” Koen greeted with a weary smile as he swam.

Leo noticed the other party and tilted his head some, “Who’s your friend?”

Koen didn’t answer immediately. He got the other male to shore and they both climbed out of the water.

There was an immediate tense silence as everyone’s eyes landed on Rori. The two new arrivals were clearly shocked and confused to see him. The harpy was noticeably uncomfortable and shifted closer to his mate. Koen’s wing sheltered him and his tail kept a firm grip on his waist.

Kenny turned to Damien for an answer. The Night Fang gave him an almost challenging look. “This is Koen’s mate, Rorick. Rori, this are Koen’s uncles, Kenneth and Leopold.” His tone was matter-of-fact and left no room for debates or snarky words. No, he didn’t love Rori’s company, but he wasn’t about to let anyone else criticise his son’s choices or his mate.

“O-oh.” Kenny blinked. He and Leo looked at one another, then their eyes slid back to Rori. “Nice to meet you.” Kenny stated, though there was still confusion in his tone, as if he couldn’t quite grasp that there was a harpy in front of him and no one was tearing it apart.

“You too.” Rori muttered, but his expression was uncomfortable still.

“I’m Leo.” The water dragon introduced with a weary smile, “I like your necklace. It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

Koen perked up, “I made it myself! Look, he made me one too.” He lifted his necklace some, displaying it proudly, “Isn’t it neat??”

Just like that the tension broke. Leo’s smile turned warm, “It’s wonderful, Koen. You’re so talented, Rori.”

“Thanks.” The harpy smiled some.

Damien looked at Kenny, “What was your surprise?”

“Oh!” The blond snapped back to attention and began digging through his basket of clothes and other items. He found what he was looking for and produced a wadded up blanket. “Okay, so, there I was, walking through the woods hunting some stupid fucking mushrooms and I come across this big ass fox digging at the ground like it’s life depended on it.”

Koen led Rori closer. They stood near his parents to listen to the story and get a better view of whatever Kenny was holding.

“Well, I scare the thing off and go check out what it’s doing. The hole is pretty deep and I see it’s almost got what it was looking for. Now, I could have reburied the hole or even took the thing and moved it to a new hole, but I figure it just would have been dug up again either way, so…” With a slight cringe he pulled the blanket down, exposing what was dwelling within it.

Damien stiffened when he saw a large, black egg peek out from the blankets. “Is that-”

“A Night Fang.” Kenny finished, “I didn’t wanna just leave it to die, so I thought, maybe you two-?”

“No way!” Damien snapped, “Go fucking bury it like it’s supposed to be!”

“Damien!” Pip gasped, “Don’t be like that!” He stepped forward and gently took the egg from Kenny. He cradled it in his arms affectionately, a soft smile on his lips.

“Does this mean I’m going to have a sibling??” Koen asked excitedly.

Phillip looked up at his mate, his eyes pleading. “Please, Damien? We can’t just abandon it.”

“But-” Damien tried to protest, “It’s- We- There’s- Ugh!” He tugged at his horns in frustration. It didn’t take long for him to relent, however, and he sighed. His arms fell in defeat, “Yes, Koen, you’re going to have a sibling.”

“Woo!” Koen cheered loudly, throwing his arms up.

Pip smiled brightly and stood on the tips of his toes to kiss Damien’s cheek. “Thank you.” He said softly, “You don’t know how happy this makes me.”

Damien put an arm around him with offered a slight smile of his own, “You’re welcome. I’m- I’m happy too…” He looked at his friend, “Thanks, Ken.”

“No problem.” Kenny grinned, “I kind of like having this big family to come back to.”

“Yeah…” Damien glanced from his mate, who was smiling at him affectionately, to his son, who was already babbling to Rori about all the things he wanted to do with and teach his young sibling, and smiled. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! If you liked this story, please consider leaving a comment or at LEAST a kudos. It lets me know that people enjoy what they're reading and encourages me to write more.


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